Black Ice
by noortjen
Summary: SEQUEL TO 'COLD SMILE! You do have to read that before reading this one :/ Jack is still sealed in the lake with Pitch. Will he get out? And what happens when a 'new' enemy makes himself known to the guardians? All guardians make an appearance. Rated T to be safe. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So this is going to be the sequel to my previous Rise of the Guardians story 'Cold Smile'. It's going to be more than a one-shot, but I'm not sure how long exactly it'll be. Enjoy reading it and feel free to review :) Also, as I don't have a beta, any mistakes are my own :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the RotG characters. I wish, ha.**

_''What goes better together than cold and darkness?''_

The week before Christmas was the most hectic time at the pole, with Yetis and elves rushing around the building, occasionally bumping into one another yet never dropping a single toy. It was the time of the year when the Guardians promised to leave North be and allow him to focus on his work. Bunnymund broke that promise that year.

''North!'' Bunny called out, opening the door to the man's office with such great force that it nearly fell off its hinges. An elf that had been juggling a plate of cookies around jumped at the loud bang it caused and dropped the plate. Bunny ignored the furious little creature and stepped over him into the direction of North's desk. The man was bended over a wooden toy train, his brows creased in concentration.

''Shh! Not now.'' North growled as he moved a small paintbrush along the side of the model train with extreme precision.

To most, North looked the same as always. Not to Bunnymund. For the first time, he noticed the dark rings underneath the man's sky blue eyes, the sad frown that was evident beneath his focus. He noticed how North looked older, even though he was well aware that none of them actually aged. His eyes didn't hold the same sparkle they had years before, like they were lacking the very thing North protected in children: wonder. It was then that Bunny realised that it wasn't just him who had suffered the loss of a friend, and it hit him hard. He had been blind to his friends pain, had failed to provide them hope in a time where they needed it most. Pushing past his thoughts, he focused back on what he'd come for.

''We need to talk.'' Bunnymund continued despite North's warning, placing his paws firmly on his hips. Normally, he would think twice about bothering North this time of the year, being all too familiar with the horror stories about the man's ill temper before Christmas. This wasn't the time to worry about that, however. After all, he'd made a promise, and he'd be damned if he didn't keep it.

North cursed in Russian when he realised the Pooka wasn't about to turn away and slammed the small brush on his desk, causing the elf to jump and drop the cookies he'd just picked up again. He looked at the little helper and shooed him out of the office, pinching the bridge of his nose.

''What is so important that you must disturb me three days before Christmas?'' North asked with a sigh, his voice laced with annoyance. Bunny didn't waste any time and placed a brown bag on North's desk next to the train. North frowned and looked at the bag, his eyes widening when he opened it.

Although he remembered that day far too well, he hadn't expected Bunny to hold onto this for over three years. He figured that the Pooka would have gotten rid of the item, unable to look at the painful reminder it bared. Yet here they were, looking at the broken staff Jack had left behind.

North finally looked up at his friend and noticed the determination and hope the guardian's eyes had been lacking ever since they'd lost one of their own. He stood tall and firm, his jaw set.

''Can you fix it?'' The question appeared out of nowhere. North raised his brows in surprise, his mouth opening to form a reply that never came. Realizing that he couldn't simply barge in and ask North to fix Jack's staff without further explanation, Bunnymund sighed, his expression softening slightly.

''I saw Jack.''

''You _what_?!'' The Pooka winced when North jolted up from his seat and raised his voice. Again, Bunny reflected on the fact that he could have elaborated better and decided that it was time to tell the others what he'd seen that spring.

''Well, I didn't see Jack, but I did. I mean-'' Bunny sighed, running a paw over his face as he tried to explain what had been going on. ''Last spring, Wind came to my Warren again to get me to visit the lake…''

North sat back down behind his desk once Bunny had finished his explanation, his eyes ever so glassy and a faint smile curling his lips. He was relieved to hear that Jack was still alive, and proud to hear that he had been fighting to protect them all this time. Then again, he was sad, and in a way, felt guilty. Jack was stuck, had sacrificed his own freedom in order to keep them safe, and they had done nothing to try and save him. All this time, they had been waiting, when they should have been fighting with Jack.

''Why not tell us sooner though?'' He suddenly asked, looking up at his friend. Bunny's ears slumped slightly, his gaze shifting away from North.

''Honestly, I was afraid.'' He confessed, much to North's surprise. ''What if I told ya'll and we still couldn't save him? What if we'd have to face that we'd really lost the little rascal?''

North felt his stomach churn at that thought. If they couldn't help Jack, they'd have to live knowing that their friend was locked in an eternal battle. That he was on his own. He swallowed away a lump in his throat, shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts.

''I will fix Jack's staff.'' He stated determined, taking the wooden pieces into his hands. ''Inform Sandy and Tooth. We have work to do.''

Bunny looked at North and grinned, motivation brightening his eyes. He gave a curtly nod and tapped his foot on the floor, creating a hole that he disappeared into. North watched him go before he turned to his new project, ordering an elf to get Phil to finish the model train.

''Time to bring winter back.'' He muttered to himself, getting to work.

Bunny raced through the tunnels he'd created, turning into one that would lead him to Tooth's palace. Jack had been the one who had gotten Tooth back into the field when they had helped collect the teeth together over five years ago, but it had also been Jack's loss which had lead to her retreating to her supervising role in the palace. She would only go out if the child who had lost a tooth lived in Burgess, allowing her to fly over the lake where they'd last seen their fellow guardian. She'd stop there for a moment and talk to him, even though she didn't know if he could hear.

Bunny knew. Jack had told him that he'd seen Tooth and Sandy almost daily, which probably meant that he had heard them as well. Bunny couldn't help but wonder what it was like for Jack. He wondered if Jack found comfort in the fact that they still visited him, or that it just hurt him to know that he couldn't be with them. That it hurt them that he was gone.

Bunnymund shook his head and quickened his pace. Jack wasn't gone, they were going to get him back. They had to. The guardian finally arrived at the palace and rushed past the countless hummingbirds that were flying around, some of them chirping as they nearly hit him. Tooth was flurrying around, surrounded by workers that demanded her attention. She was turning from one to the other, assigning them new jobs until she spotted Bunnymund in the corner of her eye.

''Take over for a bit please, baby tooth.'' She instructed the small hummingbird who had been named by Jack. Baby tooth chirped in reply and Tooth flew down to meet her friend. ''What's wrong? Does North need us? I didn't see the Northern lights!''

Bunny put up his paws to stop her from continuing her ramblings. He knew they could have used the Northern lights, and although he had been tempted to ask North, he had opted against it. Yes, it was important, but Tooth and Sandy couldn't simply abandon their tasks as guardians either. Using the lights would have resulted in just that, and they needed to be there for the children first and foremost.

''No lights,'' He started, waiting for a second while Tooth allowed a breath she'd been holding to escape. ''But we do need to talk.''

Tooth looked at him questioningly. She and Bunnymund hadn't spoken much in the last three years, and when they did, it had been Tooth who had come to him. The fact that he had come to her, with a look on his face that she hadn't seen in years, had her on guard.

For the second time that day, Bunny told the story of what had happened at the lake that spring. He told her how Jack had appeared before him, and she had gasped and listened intently and teary eyed. Her heart was racing in her chest as she imagined Jack alone with Pitch.

''I'm in.'' She blurted out the second she realised he had finished his story. ''How are we going to get him out of there though? We tried to break the ice before and it didn't work!''

Bunny knew that it wasn't possible to break the ice, Jack had made sure of that. He swallowed nervously, his lips pursing into a thin line. He wasn't sure how they were going to save Jack, he just figured that they had to try whatever they could once they were all together.

''Meet me later at the pole. I'll go get Sandy and then we'll figure out how to help that kid.'' He replied calmly, meeting her gaze and reassuring her with a smile. ''We're guardians, we'll figure something out.''

Comforted by his words, Tooth mirrored his smile. She flew up to baby tooth and asked her to remain in charge while Tooth went to the pole. Baby tooth had been silently listening in on the conversation and nodded eagerly, determined to help however she could if it meant getting her friend back.

''See ya at the pole!'' Bunnymund called over at Tooth as he tapped his foot on the ground once again, jumping into the hole the second it appeared. Tooth watched the little flower that grew where the hole had been and smiled, wiping away a stray tear before she flew away to meet North.

It had been tricky to find Sandy, but Bunny eventually found the small man in Germany, sitting on a giant dinosaur that walked around town. His golden sand was everywhere in Berlin, dolphins and unicorns and on one odd occasion frogs moving to the room where a child was waiting for a peaceful dream.

Sandy waved cheerfully when he saw his friend approaching. He slid down the long neck of the dinosaur and landed lightly on the ground, a question mark appearing above his head. Bunny didn't waste any time as he started to explain why he had come to meet the guardian.

Three times the Pooka told his story, and three times he watched as something in his friends' eyes seemed to change. They were all shocked at first, but that was quickly replaced with a fierce look that they had all lacked lately, he realised. It was then that he discovered just how important Jack had been.

They had been guardians for years before Jack joined them, but never before had they been a family. Now, they looked out for each other. North and Bunny had never stopped arguing whose holiday was more important, but Bunny had never missed the Christmassy painted eggs that mysteriously appeared before Easter each year. He was certain North hadn't missed the presents he'd wrapped in blue wrapping paper with dots and stripes on them.

They all helped each other out, and it was because of that that they had more believers than ever before. Of course, the one believer that was special to all of them, was Jamie. Children his age normally began to lose their belief in them, but not Jamie. His light shined the brightest on the globe. He was strong, brave, and kind. In return for his belief, they ensured that he was safe at all times.

Bunny remembered that the year after Jack had become a guardian, Jamie had started to get bullied. A lot of his classmates ridiculed him for believing in what they thought were childish myths. The second Jack had found out, he had gone to find the kids. They had all been worried that Jack would hurt the children, but they had been foolish in thinking so. He was a guardian, after all. Instead of revenge, Jack had sought the children out and sneakily engaged them in a fun, yet cold, game. They had played with Jamie for hours, and they'd eventually apologized for their behaviour.

Bunny got pulled out of his thoughts when Sandy's face appeared a little too close to his own, making him jump back. Sandy puffed annoyed and folded his arms over his chest, not appreciating that Bunny had spaced out and ignored him.

''Sorry mate.'' He apologized with a shrug. Sandy accepted the apology and created a small airplane and a symbol Bunny knew to mean 'North' above his head with a question mark.

''Yeah, we're all meeting up at the pole,'' Bunny agreed, watching the symbols dissolve. ''North's trying to put snowflake's staff back together. We can try and figure out what to do from there on, I guess.''

Sandy nodded his approval and created an airplane out of sand. He pointed to the open seat behind him, but the Pooka politely declined. Although he was used to them occasionally helping one another out with transport, he still preferred his tunnels above all else.

''I'll meet ya there.'' He said, tapping his foot on the ground twice. Sandy shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself', secured his sand goggles and then flew off. Bunny took a deep breath. This would be the first time in three years that they would meet up together at the pole. They had all seen each other every once in a while, and all three of them had come to the Warren to get him to come with them to the lake, but this felt different. Balling his fists, Bunny reminded himself of the promise he'd made to Jack months ago, then hopped into the tunnel which quickly shut behind him.

Bunnymund winced when he heard North cursing loudly from his office once again. It had been almost two days since he'd gotten them all back together, and despite North's previous determination, he had so far been unsuccessful in repairing the staff. Sandy and Tooth had left every once in a while to do their jobs as guardians, but had always returned as soon as possible to brainstorm over what they could do.

Honestly, they hadn't gotten anywhere, and they were all starting to get irritated. They knew what they had to do, the question was how to do it. Bunny was sitting on a work table that had been vacated now that the yetis were loading the presents into the sleigh. Sandy was sleeping noiselessly in a chair nearby and Toothiana was frantically communicating with baby tooth, who had been working hard to keep everything together while Tooth was away.

The door to North's office slammed open. Their heads immediately snapped into his direction, Sandy jolting awake from his nap. North walked slowly into their direction, his shoulders slumped and his eyes sad.

''It is no use.'' He sighed defeated, presenting them the two pieces of Jack's still broken staff. ''I tried glue, tape, even gum. Jack's staff cannot be repaired.''

Bunny's ears slumped down his back. Tooth gingerly touched the pieces of wood, her lips pulled into a thin line. She suggested more ways of fixing the staff, but anything she named was dismissed by North, who literally had tried everything he could think of.

As they were busy bickering over North's abilities to repair the staff, Sandy noticed an old friend who suddenly decided to show himself. He pointed eagerly towards the window in the ceiling, but failed to get their attention. Annoyed that he was again getting ignored, he turned to Bunny, who seemed lost in thoughts. He flew up to the Pooka's height and softly pulled his ear.

''Ow! What was that for?'' He asked irritated, feeling at a loss of what to do. He frowned when Sandy pointed upwards, then his eyes widened when he saw the moon from the window in the ceiling.

''Guys…'' He gasped, feeling equally annoyed when North and Tooth didn't respond to him. ''Guys!'' He tried again, finally drawing their attention upwards.

''Man in Moon…'' North breathed, eyes wide. ''What is it, old friend?'' He asked louder.

They watched as a ray of light appeared through the window, shining down on the tiles. They all frowned as an image of Jack's broken staff appeared.

''We tried to repair it, but we failed.'' North explained to Manny, surprised when the image on the tiles changed to show a lake they were all familiar with. ''I do not understand.''

''The lake?'' Tooth muttered confused. Her eyes widened when it hit her. ''Do we have to bring the staff to the lake?''

The image on the tiles changed once again, and they gasped when they realised what Manny showed them. They were still looking at the lake, but right there, in the middle, stood their lost friend, holding the pieces of the staff. The image shifted again, and it revealed Jack with the staff back in one piece.

''Jack can fix the staff?'' North asked, his eyebrows raised. They didn't have any more time to ask questions as the images disappeared all together, the moon moving past the window and further up into the sky.

They were silent for a moment, all lost in their own thoughts. Manny clearly wanted them to bring the staff back to the lake, to return it to Jack, but would he really be able to fix it? And it still didn't answer how they were going to get him back.

''Maybe we should ask him.'' Bunny muttered, drawing their attention. Bunny looked up at them all with a sense of clarity. He felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner. ''Why not? Jack's the one who's locked himself and Pitch in there, maybe he knows how to get out!''

''Well, what are we waiting for then?'' North asked after they all thought about that logic for a second. He picked up the pieces of wood which he had placed onto the work table only moments before. ''To the sleigh!''

It was dark by the time they arrived at the lake, but it somehow always seemed to glow a faint blue, making it impossible to miss. They all got out of the sleigh. Bunny was carrying the bag which contained Jack's staff, looking around for any sign of their missing guardian.

''Okay, so now what?'' Tooth was the first to ask as she nervously looked around. The lake was a peaceful place, but knowing what she knew now made her restless.

''We wait.'' Bunnymund answered softly, uncertain where his reply came from. He took a step onto the ice, a chill going up his back. He walked to the center of the lake, followed by the rest of the guardians. Together they stood there, waiting, although they weren't sure what for.

Bunny's ears twitched slightly as they picked up a sound. He turned his head to the left, looking around until something cold collided with the back of his head. He gasped as the snowball fell apart and trickled down his neck, making his fur wet. It was the chuckle that followed that made them all turn around.

''Getting slow, cotton tail.'' They all watched wide eyed as they stood face to face with Jack. Bunny sadly noticed that it wasn't actually Jack, but the same image he had spoken to that spring.

''Jack…'' Tooth sobbed, flying forward to hug him. Jack winced as her arms went straight through him, looking at her apologetically.

''Sorry, I don't think anyone can touch me like this.'' He muttered sadly, making Tooth's heart sink in her chest. He was there, right in front of them, and yet they couldn't reach him.

''Jack.'' North spoke up, pausing momentarily when Jack turned to look at him. He had missed looking at his friend, yet this felt wrong. ''Are you-''

''Still going strong.'' Jack answered with a smile, knowing that Bunny had told them what had been happening by now. So far, he had managed to win, controlling Pitch by keeping them both sealed in the lake. He had had moments where he became tired, but the visits from his friends had always reminded him what he was fighting for, willing him to keep holding on.

North nodded approving, proud of Jack's strength and courage. Sandy waved at Jack then, surprisingly not getting ignored by the boy. Jack had always paid attention to his symbols, even if they didn't always make sense to him, and Sandy realised that that hadn't changed.

Jack smiled and waved back at Sandy, both warming the guardian's heart and making his stomach churn. He had found Jack playing with his sand creations more than once, and even before they'd both been guardians, Sandy had kept an eye on the young spirit. It was a great relief to see him again, but the fact that it wasn't actually Jack was a painful reminder of what had occurred.

''So what's going on?'' Jack finally asked, leaning against the staff he'd created along with the image of himself. It reminded Bunny of the bag he was holding in his paw, and he hesitantly opened it to reveal the broken pieces. Jack took a step into his direction and looked into the bag, a grimace forming on his face.

''Ah, not again…'' He muttered, running a hand over his face. ''I'd forgotten about that.''

''We tried to fix it, but we couldn't.'' Bunny admitted reluctantly, taking the pieces out of the bag. Jack reached out to touch the pieces, expecting his hand to go through it. When Jack's touch suddenly created a slight flurry of ice patterns around the wood, it surprised them all. Jack gasped, looking down at his hand, then back at the wood. The thin layer of ice was still there, glistening softly in the moonlight.

''C-can I-'' Jack asked hesitantly, looking at Bunny as if he needed his permission. The Pooka replied with a silent nod, holding the pieces out for Jack to take.

They all watched in silence as Jack manage to grab the staff and carefully held the broken halves together. He set his jaw as he focused entirely on the staff, beautiful patterns slowly forming on the wood. It took Jack three attempts before they witnessed how Jack once again froze the pieces back together, a surprised chuckle making the lights in his eyes dance as he held his staff in one piece. They all looked at him in awe, their smirks mirroring Jack's.

''Jack,'' It was North's turn to speak up. The young spirit looked at him, a grin still gracing his face. ''We want to help you.''

The grin that had remained there before faltered and Jack lowered the staff to his side. He looked away from his friends, his shoulders slumping.

''I can't let him go.'' He mumbled sadly, and for a second North could have sworn he saw a stray tear on the boy's cheek. ''I have to stay…''

''Bunny told us, and we are proud of you,'' North began gently, making Jack look back up at him. ''But Jack, we need you. Come home.''

Jack looked at each of them, swallowing thickly. God, he wanted to say yes. He had longed to be with them again. He missed playing pranks on Bunny, wanted to provide Jamie with the snow days he'd missed these last few years, yearned to explore more of the world with baby tooth.

They all looked down in shock as they felt something underneath their feet. Although it only lasted a second, they could see a crack forming in the ice, a dark shadow moving through it to break it. It was instantly chased by a blue light, the crack disappearing just as fast as it had appeared.

A faint gasp made them look back at Jack, who was leaning forward, his eyes closed in a grimace. Despite knowing that they couldn't touch him, they all inched closer, asking him if he was alright.

''Sorry… I wasn't paying attention.'' Was all he explained with a slightly pained smirk. ''Don't worry thought, I won't let you fall.''

They mentally kicked themselves as they were once again reminded that this was an ongoing battle. Before any of them could say anything, Jack spoke up, taking them all by surprise.

''I want to get out.'' He stated, his voice soft, but clear enough for them to hear. Jack appeared to consider something, pursing his lips into a thin line and his eyes narrowing slightly.

''And we want you back.'' Tooth replied warmly. When Jack looked at them all, finding them all nodding encouragingly, he made up his mind. He took a deep breath.

''Alright.'' He started. ''I need you to do something for me though.''

They all nodded eagerly, conveying their willingness to do 'anything he needs'. Jack started to pace nervously in front of them, swinging his staff slightly with each step.

''I'm not sure if it will work, so I want you to make a promise.'' They were all silent, listening anxiously. ''If it doesn't work, and Pitch gets free, you have to defeat him. For good.'' Before any of them could say anything, Jack continued. ''He's been fighting me all this time, he'll be weakened. It will be your only chance to finish him, so promise me you will no matter what.''

''You have my word.'' North was the first to speak up, followed by Tooth. ''We'll defeat him.''

Sandy nodded sternly. Jack turned to look at Bunny, who looked at Jack seriously.

''I'll make sure he regrets getting out of that water.'' Bunny assured him, getting a smile in return.

''Good.'' Jack replied, his grip on his staff tightening. ''Get off the lake then.'' They were about to protest, but Jack held up his hand to stop them. ''I need you off the lake in case the ice cracks. Wouldn't want your tail to get wet, would you?''

A chill ran up Bunny's spine at the thought of falling into the freezing cold water. Looking back at Jack one more time, they all walked back to the shore, standing near the sleigh. They all looked nervously towards their friend, who stood with his staff in the center of the lake. He flashed them a cheeky grin, placing his staff firmly next to him.

''Come on guys,'' He called over, practically hearing their hearts racing in their chests. ''Believe.''

Before, Jack wouldn't have dared to even try this, but now that he actually had his staff with him, not to mention his friends present, he was willing to give it a go. He denied the nervous feeling that was gnawing at him as he closed his eyes, his longing to be reunited with his friends burning stronger than ever, giving him strength.

They all had to look away when the lake began to glow bright blue, the light blinding them. Bunny heard the ice crack. He tried to look to see what was happening, praying that whatever Jack was doing would work, and for a second he caught a glimpse of Jack standing on top of the lake, his face contorted in a grimace as he held his staff upright with both hands. The light became too bright for him to look and he turned his head away, when suddenly it all died down.

They were afraid to look. His heart in his throat, Bunny slowly opened his eyes again, his stomach churning when a thick layer of ice still covered the lake. His ears drooped down to his back, the arm he'd been covering his eyes with lowering slowly. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he noticed something on top of the lake.

There, in the middle of the lake, he saw Jack's staff. His eyes trailed down the staff and he gasped when he saw pale fingers limply holding onto it.

''Jack…'' Bunny breathed wide eyed. Jack lay unmoving on the ice, his skin pale, his hair white. It wasn't the same image they had seen before, it was him. It was their friend. ''Jack!''

**To be continued... Gaaah! It's been a while since I've written this much! I'm off to bed now, cause I have to be up again in 5 hours (oops.), but it was fun to do again :) Thank you very much for reading, please review! :) Xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Helloooooo! Thank you all for the lovely reviews! :D Here's the second chapter to my sequel. As I don't have a beta, any mistakes made are my own (sorry :P)**

**Enjoy!**

Bunny didn't stop to consider that the ice underneath his feet might crack as he jolted towards Jack, the others following with a little more caution. He cursed underneath his breath as he slipped up a few times, reminded of how Jack could run around on the lake with a grace he didn't think the kid possessed.

He nearly fell down again when he struggled to stop at Jack's side, almost sliding right past him. Jack lay limply on his side, his bangs falling slightly over his closed eyes. Bunny was afraid to touch him, imagining how his hand could slip right through the spirit. He looked Jack over carefully and established three things.

One, the air around them had grown colder. Bunny wasn't all too fond of cold temperatures and easily noticed any changes in the weather. His fur stood up protectively to try and keep out the cold, tiny snowflakes settling on his whiskers and the tips of his ears.

Two, Jack was really there. He couldn't see straight through the winter spirit anymore. Although he was still hesitant to touch it, this was a solid body lying in front of him. He was still wearing his ever present blue hoodie and his old, brown trousers.

He remembered North had once tried to get Jack to wear a new pair of jeans he'd given the guardian of fun for Christmas, but Jack had politely (when was Jack ever polite, Bunny recalled wondering) declined, sticking with his worn down pair.

Finally, Bunnymund noticed the slow rise and fall of Jack's chest. It was a faint movement, but it was one that made them all release a breath they didn't realise they'd been holding. That left them with one final task, however, and it appeared that they were all equally nervous to make the first move.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat and urging himself not to over think matters, the Pooka carefully extended his paw, a sense of relief coming over him when he felt Jack's hoodie underneath his fur. He gently tried to shake their friend, but Jack didn't stir.

''Now what?'' He asked worried, looking up at the rest of the guardians.

''Now, we bring him home.'' North replied softly, that final word bearing more meaning than anyone could imagine. Nodding in agreement, Bunny turned back to Jack and scooped the boy into his arms. He wasn't surprised to discover just how light the spirit was, remembering how easily Wind swiped him up.

Sandy leaned down and picked up Jack's staff, and together they started walking back to the sleigh. Tooth turned her head slightly when she saw movement in the corner of her eye and stopped. At the edge of the lake stood a young boy, his dark brown hair peeking out from underneath his hat and his eyes wide in shock.

''Jamie…'' Tooth gasped, drawing everyone's attention to the kid. Jamie stood still, one hand resting against a tree and his chest heaving as if he'd run all the way from town. They all looked at one another for a moment before Jamie took a step in their direction.

''Tooth.'' North said softly, his silent request clear to her. She nodded for them to keep walking as she flew over to where Jamie was standing. She smiled at him and lowered herself to his level.

''Is that-''Jamie asked, glancing back to where Bunny reached the sleigh, still holding Jack in his arms as he climbed in. He then looked back at Tooth, his eyes so full of hope and worry that she just had to hug him.

''Jack's back.'' She confirmed, pulling out of the embrace enough to look at Jamie again. ''He's going to be fine, I promise. He's just asleep. We're going to take care of him.''

Tooth got nervous when Jamie seemed to study her for a while, but her concern faded once he flashed her a heartwarming grin.

''I knew he'd be back!'' Jamie cheered, jumping up excitedly and laughing. He quickly grabbed Tooth's hand, the sudden movement making her flinch slightly in surprise. ''Can you tell him to visit me when he's awake? I haven't spoken to him in, like, forever, and I really want to play with him again!''

Tooth couldn't help but smile back and promise that she'd pass on his message. She was about to turn to the sleigh, well aware that they were all eager to get Jack back to the pole where they could look after him, when suddenly she got curious.

''Hey Jamie?'' The boy looked at her questioningly, encouraging her to go on. ''How did you know he was back?''

''I saw the light.'' Jamie shrugged. ''I knew it came from the lake, so I came here as fast as I could.''

Satisfied with the explanation, Tooth said her goodbyes to Jamie and quickly flew over to the sleigh. Bunny had sat down at the back, Jack's head resting in his lap. Sandy was still holding on to Jack's staff and North was holding the reins and waiting patiently for Tooth to sit down. Jamie watched as the sleigh got off the ground after a short sprint, smiling as it raced through the sky and eventually disappeared in what Jack had told him to be a snow globe portal to the pole.

Once they had landed the sleigh safely at the pole, North helped Bunnymund to get Jack out of the sleigh. Bunny followed the Russian man as he marched through the hallways, ordering yetis and elves alike to get out of their way as they headed towards what had become Jack's bedroom.

Jack had rarely stayed in the room, still preferring the thick branch of a tree near his lake over the comfort of a soft bed, but North had kept the room available for the guardian nonetheless. There wasn't much in the room; just a double bed, an arm chair, a small bedside table, a desk, and a wooden chair. Jack had said it was plenty once he finally acknowledged that this would be his place in the pole.

It had surprised North how reserved Jack was about getting the room at the time, considering how long Jack had been trying to get into the pole- something the yetis had told him more about after their ordeal with Pitch had ended. The guardians often spent time at the pole, and North had assigned them all a room they could stay in if they wanted to throughout the years. Jack had appeared almost reluctant to accept the gesture, although Sandy suspected he knew why.

They all sometimes forgot that Jack had been alone for much longer any of them could imagine. The winter spirit hadn't exactly been popular among the other spirits, and even the guardians were guilty of turning the cold shoulder to him on more than one occasion. Of course, Jack never blamed any of them for it, but Jack's hesitation to accept a place to call his own -a place where he'd be surrounded by yetis and elves and other spirits- didn't come as as much of a surprise to Sandy as it did to the others.

Tooth quickly fluttered past North and pulled the bright red sheets back before Bunnymund slowly lowered Jack onto the bed. Tooth tucked Jack in, smiling slightly when the sheets got covered in a thin layer of ice almost immediately, and Sandy quietly placed the staff right next to the bed.

They all silently accepted it when Bunny settled in the arm chair that he pulled closer to the bed, his gaze never leaving Jack, as if looking away would make him disappear once again. The Pooka did register when North told him to inform them if anything changed, and he also heard Tooth's instructions to call for them if he needed anything, but he gave nothing in response. His shoulders slumped slightly when he heard the door close behind them, his ears drooping down his back as he watched over the winter spirit.

It wasn't long before the window to Jack's room flew open, and it wasn't hard to discover the cause. Wind was flying through the room, ruffling Jack's hair and tugging at the sheets.

''Calm down, he's not going to wake up any sooner if ya keep doing that.'' Bunny mumbled calmly, watching as Wind stopped tugging at her friend. ''Trust me, you'll know when he's awake.''

Bunny remained in the arm chair throughout the day, getting up only once to ask one of the yetis for a blanket as the room was freezing cold. Phil had returned only a minute later with a thick blanket for the guardian to curl into as he kept vigil over their friend. Phil had glanced over at Jack a couple of times as he handed Bunny the blanket, and Bunny promised him he would let him know if anything changed.

It was peculiar how Jack had managed to create such a strong friendship with the yeti who had kept him out of the pole for hundreds of years. Bunny suspected that Jack had always seen trying to get into the pole as a game, and Phil as his worthy opponent. He could imagine Jack creating a blizzard around the pole just to end up bumping into the yeti as he tried to sneak in through a small window, getting thrown out only to try something else in a few months time.

Bunny was starting to fall asleep when North entered the room, holding a candle in one hand as the hallways appeared to have gotten dark. He placed the candle on the small wooden table next to the bed before he looked at Jack, a frown furrowing his brow.

''How is he?'' He asked, his voice as much of a whisper as he could.

''Same as before, I guess.'' Bunny answered glumly, leaning forward in the chair and rubbing his eyes. North noticed the movement and sighed.

''Go get rest, I will stay with Jack.'' North all but ordered. Normally, Bunnymund would have objected, but his eyelids were getting heavier every time he blinked, so he silently complied. He handed North the blanket and slowly left the room, heading for his own just down the hall.

North settled in the armchair Bunny had just vacated, draping the blanket over his shoulders as he sighed. He had sent Bunny off to get some sleep, but he had barely had any himself, and he knew that as long as Jack didn't wake up, none of them would really get the rest they needed.

Almost a week had passed since they had gotten Jack back, and almost a week had passed without Jack showing any signs of waking up. They were all taking turns remaining at Jack's side, the others resting and getting back to their duties as guardians in the meantime. North had been extra moody that Christmas, barking orders at the yetis and on one occasion nearly throwing an elf out of the window out of frustration. Now that Christmas had passed, the man had pulled himself back together, looking out for the others as they went about their days.

The sun was starting to set, and North was watching the pink sky and sipping the hot chocolate Tooth had brought him only minutes before. It was his turn to sit with Jack again, and although at first he had been like the others, watching Jack every second to ensure that he didn't vanish, he was now starting to grow accustomed to the situation.

It was because of this that he didn't notice when Jack's finger twitched on top of the sheets. North tried to stifle a yawn, holding the warm cup in both hands. His attention got drawn back to the bed when he heard a soft groan from Jack's direction. He placed the cup on the table and raised from his seat, looking for any movement.

''Guys!'' He roared once Jack groaned again, his eyes moving underneath closed lids. North took Jack's hand in his own and squeezed it slightly, encouraging Jack to wake up. It wasn't long before Bunny burst through the door, his eyes wide with concern. He was followed by Tooth and Sandy shortly after, who bumped into each other right outside the door, having come from opposite directions.

Bunny's heart was racing in his chest, and it wasn't due to the short sprint he'd done from his room to get here. He walked around the other side of the bed and stood at the edge, watching nervously as Jack began to stir. He watched as their friend's eyebrows creased slightly, his eyelids fluttering open ever so slightly before closing again.

''C'mon mate,'' Bunny whispered encouragingly. ''Time for ya to get out of that bloody bed.''

''Wake up, Jack.'' Tooth cooed softly, fluttering near the foot of the bed. Sandy floated next to her, watching hopefully, his hands clenched into small fists.

It took another minute, but slowly Jack's eyes began to open. He blinked a few times, urging his sight to become more than just a blur of colours, and he found himself smiling when four pairs of eyes were surrounding him, looking at him expectantly.

''I really hope you haven't all been glaring at me while I was sleeping.'' Jack croaked jokingly. He was glad to see them all smile in return. Jack tried to sit up, but barely managed to lift his head from the pillow.

''Whoa, take it easy, ya Gumby.'' Bunny said, taking a step forward, ready to push Jack back on the bed if he had to. ''You've only just woken up, give it a little time.''

Jack obliged, already feeling like falling back to sleep again. He must've looked it, for their smiles were gone as quickly as they had come.

''Jack, how are you doing?'' Toothiana asked sweetly, and Jack flashed her a reassuring smile.

''I'm just tired, that's all.'' He shrugged, turning his head to look at them all. ''I guess it took a bit more strength than I thought to get out of there.''

That simple sentence caused a multitude of questions to come to mind, and Bunny couldn't help himself.

''About that,'' Bunny began, finding all eyes turned to him. ''How did ya do it?''

''Ehm,'' Jack began, frowning like Bunny had just grown a second head. ''I created the seal. It's easy to break something you created yourself.''

Fair enough, Bunny thought, but that left him with another question.

''I don't understand though,'' He continued. ''Ya said ya couldn't leave Pitch in there alone or he'd get out. Hell, ya said you'd 'merged' with him!'' A chill went up his spine at the thought of merging with anyone, especially someone like Pitch. Not that he was entirely sure he understood what merging was, or how you'd do it. ''What changed?''

The silence that fell after that question had been asked was deafening. Would Pitch escape again? Would they have to fight him after all? What if he came after Jack again? All these thoughts assaulted their minds, but nothing could have prepared them for Jack's answer.

''He's not in the lake.'' It was spoken so softly that they barely heard it, but the words cut through the silence like a knife. Jack was looking down at the red sheets that covered his body. He was tired, and his eyelids were beginning to droop again, but they needed answers. Jack knew that.

''What do you mean-'' North began, but he was cut off by Jack.

''I couldn't leave him there.'' Jack started explaining, his expression almost guilty. ''You're right, I couldn't leave him in the lake, so I took him in.''

''…Took him in?'' North asked, although he was afraid of the answer. He didn't like the sound of this. None of them did.

''It's kind of hard to explain.'' Jack shrugged again. ''Pitch doesn't just live in the shadows. He _is_ the shadows. Or part of it, at least.''

Bunny's eyes widened in realization. Just like he had discovered that Jack was one with winter, Pitch was one with darkness. He was his magic. He was fear. Bunny thought back at when he'd been led to the lake that spring, at how Jack had said that he had to merge with Pitch to stop him, and he listened on.

''I don't exactly know how I did it, but as we were fighting back in the lake, I realised I could, well, let him inside me.'' Jack paused for a second, thinking over what he'd just said. ''That sounded less dirty in my mind.''

He shook his head and continued.

''Anyway, I wasn't sure if it would work, but I decided to try and seal Pitch inside me.'' Jack smiled sheepishly. ''Guess it worked.''

''Jack,'' North said, shaking his head. ''What you did was brave, but it was also very dangerous.''

They all frowned when North continued.

''There are stories of spirits that merged together, although I do believe they called it different, and those stories did not end well.'' North admitted grimly. ''It is very, very rare. I thought that the stories were just that. Stories. Until now, of course.''

''So this has been done before?'' Jack asked surprised, almost excited. North nodded seriously.

''Twice before. I cannot remember them well, so I will look for book.'' North promised, already racking his brain trying to remember what part of the library he'd seen that book in last.

Another silence fell, and they realised that Jack was slowly falling back to sleep. They told him to get as much rest as he needed, then they worded their relief to have him back, some more explicitly than others. Although Bunny didn't voice his joy much in words, the fact that he settled in the armchair next to the bed instead of leaving with the others spoke volumes.

For the next three days, Jack remained in bed, spending the majority of his time sleeping. The second time Jack had woken up, Tooth had encouraged the guardian to eat some of the soup Phil had made the moment he'd been informed of Jack's waking up. Jack had gratefully eaten all of it, thanking Phil in person when the yeti came to collect the bowl while he was still awake. Phil had flashed the guardian a smile, although it was slightly concealed by his long hair.

Despite Tooth's orders to remain at the palace, several little hummingbirds had flown through the open window to welcome Jack back. One particularly stubborn little bird remained no matter what Toothiana demanded, and when she saw the large grin on Jack's face, she decided to cut baby tooth some slack. Tooth told Jack of Jamie's request to come and visit him, and she was glad that he didn't have the strength to get out of bed yet, otherwise he would have gone out the window the second she had told him.

The next time Jack woke up, Sandy was snoozing in the armchair next to him, golden sand floating idly around him. Jack had watched Sandy until the guardian woke up ten minutes later, smiling kindly when he realised Jack was also awake. They had talked for a while, and Sandy noticed just how much he had missed being able to talk to someone who could mostly make sense of his symbols as long as he didn't go too fast.

North had so far been unable to find the book on merging spirits (Jack couldn't help but wonder who would write something like that), however he had entertained the boy with stories of Christmas day. He told Jack that Jamie had been given a snowboard, as the kid apparently wanted to replace his old sled, which had broken only a few weeks before Christmas. Sophie, who believed in them almost as much as Jamie did, had been given a snow globe to add to her ever growing collection, and according to one of the yetis, there had been an Easter egg sneakily hidden in the tree for both kids.

Jack laughed. He knew Sophie was very fond of Bunny, but what she didn't realise was that he was just as fond of her. He teased Bunnymund about it when the Pooka sat with him the next day, but Bunny denied any form of sentiment towards the little ankle biter. They continued their light hearted banter until Jack tried to stifle another yawn, after which Bunny convinced the boy to get a bit more sleep.

Today Jack felt more energized than he had in the last few days, so he decided he'd had more than enough of lying around all day. He paced around the room for a while, chuckling when Wind blew around him, longing to take him out the window and around the world. Tempting as that sounded, Jack knew he wasn't strong enough yet.

He hadn't told the others, but it was more than obvious to him that keeping Pitch merged with him was harder than any of them suspected. He could feel the constant battle going on within himself, and it left him exhausted, and sometimes, hurt. He didn't want to worry his friends any more than they already did, and he therefore went on as he always did.

Having circled around the room five times already, Jack opted to go for a little walk around the pole. He could have a chat with Phil, or steal some cookies from the elves. Yes, he was bored, but there was plenty to do, right? Whistling a short song, he opened the door that led into the corridor, and he smiled as he saw everything exactly as he'd remembered it.

The place was truly filled with what North protected in the children: wonder. Everywhere he looked, Jack saw toys flying around, driven by the magic North put into his work. He stepped aside as a green airplane with red stripes on the sides flew past. He walked down the corridor and reached a slightly more crowded part of the building. Although Christmas was only just over, yetis and elves were moving about, starting the preparations for next year.

Jack spotted Phil carrying two pots of purple paint and smiled. He was about to walk up to the yeti when something flew right past him and hit the wall. Jack jumped slightly and nearly tripped over an elf that was struggling to untie two red ribbons they used to wrap the packages in.

Jack looked back to where whatever it was had nearly crashed into him and frowned. The wall was black and smoke was coming from the spot. Whatever had crashed into the wall, it had been on fire.

''Jack!'' Bunny called as he raced over. He had heard the door to Jack's room open and close and had watched Jack as he wandered around the pole. He had been about to turn around and return to his room when he heard something and saw Jack stumbling slightly. He was at Jack's side in a matter of seconds, looking him over. ''You alright, mate?''

''I'm fine,'' Jack assured him, stepping back to have a look at whatever had nearly hit him.

''What was that?'' Bunny asked, standing next to Jack. Jack carefully picked at the burnt remains, trying to find a clue. Even though it had missed him, he knew it was directed to him. And even though he knew, he tried to push away the memory that came to mind.

''I don't know.'' He murmured thoughtfully, turning around to look in the direction it had come from, spotting the open window. He walked to it even though Bunny told him against it, looking out, but seeing nothing. ''Who threw it?''

From the shadows, he watched the pale winter spirit, a grin pulling at his lips. It had been a hundred and fifty years since he'd last seen him, but it was time for him to return.

**That's the end of chapter two! Thank you for reading it and I hope you enjoyed it :) I will go into further detail on some of the things mentioned in this chapter later on, so keep on reading if you want some answers :P Please feel free to review**

**Xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hellooooo! :D Thank you everyone for the reviews, they make me smile :) Here's the third chapter to my sequel, I'm not sure how many chapters this story is going to be in total, but I'll keep working on it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the RotG characters. :(**

The other guardians had all arrived to investigate what had just occurred. Jack was sitting down on one of the worktables near where their unknown object had flown past him and hit the wall. He was swinging his legs idly and resting his head against his staff. He was tired, but his eyes were fixed on the black ash that had been their only evidence so far.

North leaned in closer, swiping his finger over the ashes on the wall. He felt the texture in his hand, smelled it, and even went as far as licking it.

''Hmmm…'' He frowned, licking his lips. He stood back up straight and shrugged. ''Nope, just ash. I cannot tell what it was before it was set on fire and thrown at wall.''

Bunny sniffed the stain suspiciously, although he didn't want to go as far as North had gone.

''Ya sure it was aimed at the wall?'' He asked, looking at North, and then at Jack. ''Cause from where I was standing, it appeared to be directed at snowflake over there.''

''What are you trying to say?'' Jack got up from the table, sounding slightly annoyed. He took a few steps into Bunny's direction, his fatigue momentarily forgotten. ''Do you think I asked for this?''

''All I'm saying is that only _you_ can piss someone off when ya have only been back for a week.'' Bunny retorted, regretting the words the moment they left his mouth. He immediately saw how Jack's posture changed, his shoulders stiffening and his jaw setting. His eyes darkened the same way they had always done when the spirit felt the need to defend himself. It was a glare Bunny regretfully had been the receiver of before.

Jack wanted to counter Bunny. Their banter had mostly been lighthearted in the years he'd been a guardian, but sometimes they would slip back into old habits, and it would result in an argument that wouldn't get solved without help from the other guardians.

Jack balled his hands into fists, his mouth opening to allow the hurtful words to escape. Only nothing came. Bunny watched as Jack stood in front of him like that for a moment, surprised when his shoulders slacked and all that came out was a sigh. Jack looked down and mumbled something about being tired before brushing past Bunnymund and towards his room.

They all watched Jack disappear into the room until North spoke up.

''Bit uncalled for, no?'' It was directed to Bunny's comment, and he knew that. He just didn't want to admit that he had upset Jack. Truth was that seeing Jack stumble had scared him, and he had reacted the only way he knew he could. Sure, he was angry, but not at Jack. He was angry that someone almost hurt his friend, and he was frightened that whoever did this would try again, and that he or she wouldn't miss then.

Jack threw himself onto the bed and growled his annoyance into the pillow. He knew Bunny hadn't meant to upset him, he knew the Pooka well enough to be certain of that. But it still got to him. Perhaps it was because he suspected that he knew who had been behind the incident that he was this sensitive to the guardian's words.

The winter spirit stared up at the ceiling and eventually closed his eyes. He really was tired. He was almost falling back to sleep, his breath evening out, when he heard something that made his eyes open faster than he deemed possible.

''_You know who did that, don't you?''_

Jack sat up straight and reached for his staff, his eyes frantically scanning the room for any movement as he willed his heart to just stop trying to jump out of his chest.

_''__You're not going to find me there, and you know it.''_

Jack knew that voice far too well, but listening to it made him establish one thing. He wasn't in the room. In fact, he wasn't anywhere around him.

''How-'' Jack began, his voice no more than a whisper. He stopped when a menacing chuckle reached his ears.

''Don't be like that, Jack. You didn't seriously think I would just silently remain inside you, did you?''Jack swallowed nervously, although he did loosen his grip on his staff slightly, knowing that this was a battle his staff wouldn't be very useful in. _''I'm a part of you now, Frost. Might as well get used to the company.''_

Jack felt sick. He knew sealing Pitch away would have its consequences, but he'd never expected this. Then again, he hadn't exactly expected any of it to work, so he hadn't stood still to think of what it would be like to actually succeed.

_''__Did you swallow your tongue?'' _Pitch asked, and it was then that Jack began to wonder if the others would be able to hear him. There was no harm in asking, Jack figured.

''Can anyone else hear you?'' He mumbled, worried that any of the guardians might otherwise walk in on the conversation he was currently having. It didn't matter if they could hear Pitch or not, if they found Jack talking to him, it would only cause them to worry more.

_''__Well I'm not exactly an expert at this, Frost.'' _Pitch retorted annoyed. _''But I suspect not. Why? Are you worried they're going to catch you talking to yourself like a lunatic?''_

''Shut up.'' Jack growled lowly, crossing his legs and resting his staff on his lap. When Pitch actually stopped talking, Jack began to wonder if he'd imagined it all. Unlikely, he decided. He was tired, but he wasn't exhausted enough to hallucinate. Jack pursed his lips, curiosity eventually taking the better of him. ''What's it like?''

_''__To be stuck inside another body and have no control? Tedious.'' _Pitch answered dryly. It was quiet for another moment. Jack was thinking of everything that was happening right now. Honestly, it was going to give him a headache. He had to not only figure out what to do with Pitch merged into his body, he had to find his attacker.

_''__You can lie to them, but not to me.'' _Pitch suddenly started again. Jack didn't reply. _''I know about your… history, with him. That's his signature, and you know it.''_

Jack hated to admit it, but Pitch was right. So far, he hadn't spoken up about it because he didn't want it to be true, but perhaps it was time to face this head on. He muttered another 'shut up' to Pitch, even though he hadn't said anything in the few minutes he'd thought Pitch's words over, and climbed out of bed again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the guardians stood still around the stain on the wall. They weren't getting anywhere, quite literally. Each of them had taken turns to inspect the ashes, but whatever had hit the wall had been burnt beyond recognition.

''Fire pumpkin.'' It was Jack's brief statement that made them turn on their heels. Jack looked like he had calmed down a little. He held up his hand to silence Bunny when the Pooka tried to make amends, smiling reassuringly.

''What do you mean, fire pumpkin?'' North asked, Sandy nodding to indicate that he was wondering the same. Jack walked up to them and pointed to the ashes on the wall with his staff.

''That's what he threw at the wall.'' He rested the staff against his shoulder, facing the puzzled looks he was given. ''It's a warning.''

''Whoa, whoa, hold on!'' Bunny shook his head, urging himself to hold back the anger that was boiling closer to the surface again. ''You're saying ya know who did this?!''

Normally, Jack would have turned his head away. He would have denied everything and flown out of the window, allowing Wind to take him as far away from everything as possible. Now was not the time for that.

''I do,'' He walked back to the worktable he had been sitting on before and sat back down, crossing his legs. ''I just don't know how.''

''Why not start from the beginning, hmm?'' North suggested as they all stood around the worktable, their eyes fixed on their youngest member. Jack took a deep breath and began his explanation.

''It was about two hundred years ago…'' Jack started. ''Summer was just over, and I was at my lake, resting. As you all know, I'm not overly popular with the other spirits, and I didn't know you all that well yet. Just by name, really. I was just trying to prepare for winter when I saw something in the woods.''

They were all listening intently. Jack looked like he was being drawn back to a time where he hadn't been friends with them. A time, they realised, where Jack had been all alone. The sadness in Jack's eyes was therefore hard to miss, but none of them dared to say a word, afraid that Jack would refuse to open up to them any more if they did, and they needed some answers.

''I followed it, and it turned out to be another spirit. Just a small demon, but I didn't want any trouble, so I tried to leave again quietly, but he noticed me and chased me back to the lake… Turns out he wasn't the only one of his kind. I saw no way out and fought them. I got rid of most of them, but one got away. That same night, I was about to go to sleep when I saw something flying at me. I jumped to the side just in time to see that someone had launched a flaming pumpkin at me. I didn't see whoever had done it yet, but I could hear him. He said I'd hurt his demons, that he'd make me pay for that. He threw a few more pumpkins in my direction and then, even though I tried to explain that the demons attacked me first, and I finally spotted him.''

Jack remembered how he had looked at the spirit in front of him. From underneath the long black cloak, Jack could see hands so thin that they looked like they were no more than bone. He was tall, his skin red as if his veins were on fire. His eyes were glowing orange, standing out more when Jack noticed that the white of his eyes wasn't in fact white, but black. His lips were thin and pale, and his hair was long and crimson, framing his thin face.

''So, what?'' Bunny asked when Jack had paused, seemingly lost in thoughts. ''This guy attacks ya because ya hurt some of his demons two hundred years ago? Talk about holding a grudge.''

''Oh, no.'' Jack shook his head, getting back to his story. ''We became friends.''

''Ya… what?'' Bunny didn't understand a thing anymore. If they were friends, why had he sent Jack that 'warning'?

''Jack, please continue.'' North urged, and Jack obliged with a brief nod.

''So yeah… We fought the first time we met, but somewhere along the line it became more of an extreme game of tag. He eventually said to call it quits, and the fact that he was laughing was reason enough for me to do so. We talked for a while after that, and we became friends. We each had our duties as spirits, so we didn't see each other often, but whenever we did, it would be huge fun.''

Jack had almost been smiling at the memory, but that sense of happy nostalgia vanished just as quick as it had began to show. It was replaced with a grim look, one that made the guardians wonder just what had happened to Jack before he'd joined them as a guardian.

''We had been friends for almost fifty years when I spotted some of his demons again. I had never asked much about what he did as a spirit, because I didn't really care, but I got curious, so I followed it…'' Jack swallowed past a lump in his throat, the image of that day clear as day. ''He was killing children.''

They all responded differently to that bit of information. Tooth gasped, a hand going up to her mouth as she tried not to cry at the thought of someone hurting the children. Sandy looked sad, though it wasn't just for the children who had died at the hand of the demons. He could imagine Jack, alone, desperate for someone to talk to. And then he met this spirit, and he became his friend, but then he discovered this. He couldn't even begin to think what that must have been like for Jack.

North and Bunny each reacted with anger, although Bunny showed his more clearly than North. North balled his fists and couldn't help but wonder why Manny hadn't informed them at the time that someone was killing children. It was their task as guardians to protect them, and yet they had been unaware of what was going on back then.

Bunny gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. If he ever met the spirit, he was sure he wouldn't be able to contain the rage he felt towards him. He could guess what had happened next, and from the looks of it, it hadn't been easy for Jack to do.

''He was getting his demons to somehow suck out their energy and using it for himself.'' The disgust in Jack's voice was clear to all of them, and they didn't blame him for it. ''Turns out he'd made a deal with the devil back when he was human. He'd sold his soul, but when the time came to pay up ten years later, he didn't want to go to hell. So he struck another deal. He would collect the souls of children and send them to hell in his place, and he would get to remain a free spirit.''

Now this was a lore they were familiar with. Tooth was looking at Jack wide eyed, all of them finally realizing who Jack's friend had been.

''Jack, are you saying that your friend was-'' She didn't want to say the name. She'd heard of him before, but since no one had seen the spirit for over a hundred years, they'd all assumed he had finally gotten what he deserved. Jack nodded embarrassed.

''I was friends with Jack of the Lantern.'' He admitted reluctantly, his stomach churning at the thought of being even remotely close to the Pumpkin King. He smiled sadly. ''He always liked how we were both called Jack, said it was meant to be that we were friends. That night, I stopped his demons once again, and he came to meet me at the lake. He asked me why I'd hurt his demons, and I told him that I knew what he'd been doing.''

Jack gritted his teeth angrily, remembering how indifferent to it the spirit had been. ''He didn't care about the children. All he cared about was chaos, about staying a free spirit… So I stopped him.''

They were all silent for a moment. Bunny had suspected the moment Jack had told them that the spirit had been killing children that he'd somehow defeated him, but he hadn't known it was the Pumpkin King, the king of Halloween, that Jack had stopped. He had to admit, he was impressed. Even when he hadn't officially been a guardian, Jack had acted as such, protecting the children and defeating one of the most infamous spirits to have ever existed.

''Jack,'' Tooth was the first to speak, her tone kind and caring. ''How did you stop him?'' Jack smiled faintly.

''Pitch wasn't the first spirit I sealed away.'' They were all listening closely, their eyes wide with awe. ''I knew I couldn't win the fight when it was summer in Burgess, so I tricked him. I made him believe that we were playing another game of extreme tag, but I was slowly guiding him to the South Pole. Once we got there, I used the snow and ice around me to my advantage. It cost me almost all the energy I possessed, but I caught him in a blizzard and finally managed to freeze him in an iceberg. I have gone back to that place every year to make sure that he doesn't come out.''

They were silent. Jack had tricked and sealed away Jack of the Lantern, had defeated the Pumpkin King, and none of them had ever known. They were amazed just as much as they felt guilty.

''Jack, we're sorry.'' Tooth was again the first to break the silence. Jack looked up at her surprised, and she hugged him the second she noticed the tears in his eyes that were threatening to fall. ''We should have been there with you when you fought him. You protected the children.''

That last statement brought a slight smile back to the winter spirit's face. ''You didn't know.'' He said as matter of reassurance.

''That is the problem, Jack,'' North added sadly, feeling the same as Tooth. ''We did not know. If we did, we could have helped you. You would not have had to do it alone.''

Sandy nodded in agreement, and even Bunny decided to go with the nonverbal gesture, not trusting his words right now. Jack looked at all of them and quickly wiped away a tear that ran down his pale cheek.

''Thank you.'' Jack muttered, relieved that he had told them after all. He hated to see them sad or worried, but he honestly felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. They were right, because this time, he wasn't in it alone. He had his friends to help him. ''He must've gotten out when I wasn't there to strengthen the ice.''

They all agreed with that theory. Jack hadn't been able to check on the ice for three years. That had apparently been enough time for the Pumpkin King to break it, and he clearly had a score to settle with Jack.

''We have to stop him before he hurts any children again.'' Jack stated what they'd all been thinking, although the rest of the guardians didn't just have the children on their mind. They wanted to stop him before he could hurt Jack.

_''__How heroic.'' _Jack's heart sank in his chest as he heard Pitch again. He looked at each of his friends and confirmed his suspicions. Only he could hear Pitch. He tried to ignore the spirit, but that proved difficult when he continued to talk. _''I must say, I was glad that he was gone. Good riddance, I'd say, his demons always interfered with my nightmares. He thought he was so great with his little schemes and silver tongue, I remember how much I enjoyed watching you take him down.''_

That caught Jack's attention. Pitch had told him before that he knew about the situation between him and the Pumpkin King, but he never knew that someone had known that he'd sealed the spirit away. He had almost slipped up and started talking back to Pitch, but someone calling his name drew his attention back to the fact that he wasn't alone.

Jack looked up to see all of them looking at him worried. He flashed them a quick smile and asked what they had been talking about.

''You alright, mate? Ya look a little pale.'' Bunny asked in return. It was true, Jack looked even paler than usual, and the fact that he'd just zoned out for the last minute or so had them all worried.

''Yeah, I'm fine,'' Jack brushed it off, unfolding his legs and instead letting them dangle over the edge of the worktable as they had been earlier. ''Just a bit tired, that's all.''

Jack watched as Sandy created a symbol of a bed above his head and looked at him questioningly. Sandy was more than happy to help Jack get a good night sleep if that was what the boy needed.

''Sandy's right, Jack,'' Tooth added sweetly. ''Go get some rest, we'll try and figure out what to do next and we'll let you know as soon as we do.''

Knowing that he couldn't talk his way out of it without drawing suspicion to why he'd just zoned out, Jack did as he was told. He said goodnight to all of them and walked back into his room, locking the door behind him.

''Can you please not talk to me when I'm with them?'' Jack whispered agitated, heading towards the bed, but with no intention of actually going to sleep. Yes, he was still tired, to the point that it was difficult to keep his eyes open, but he didn't want to sleep right now. He had too much on his mind.

_''__Now why would I do that?'' _Pitch countered nonchalantly, and Jack could just imagine him with a triumphant look on his face. _''You're the one who merged us, so you're stuck with me whether you like it or not. I could keep you up all night just talking to you, I could keep talking each time your little friends talk to you. I can drive you insane.''_

Jack felt his heart sink in his chest at that thought. He wondered if Pitch could actually talk for that long, but he didn't want to challenge him either. Pitch was right though, they were stuck with each other. They'd have to find a way to deal with that, or rather, Jack did.

He remembered the book North had mentioned before, and he also knew that with the current situation at hand, North wouldn't be looking for it. So he did what he needed to do. He quietly opened the window, and was immediately greeted by Wind.

''I need you to help me out, Wind.'' He murmured. ''Can you take me to the library? I don't want them to see me leave the room.''

Wind easily picked Jack up, and he couldn't help but smile when he flew up into the sky. The library was on the other side of the pole. Jack chuckled when he realised Wind took him the long way around, well aware that he had missed the feeling of being in the air. Of being free. He could fly without her help, but Wind had always been faithful to him, and she did allow him to fly without much effort.

As quiet as he could, Jack climbed into the library from a window at the back, and he sighed when he detected a flaw in his plan. The library was huge. There were rows of bookcases further than Jack could see, and each bookcase reached all the way to the high ceiling.

''Well, this might take a while…'' Jack commented to himself, stepping towards the nearest bookcase. It was only seconds later that he discovered flaw number two in his plan; he had no idea what the book was called, or what it looked like. Jack groaned defeated and ran a hand through his hair. Looking for the book would have to wait.

The next morning, Jack knocked on the door to North's office. A loud voice told him to come in, and so he turned the knob and walked inside. North looked up from his desk and got up from his chair when he saw Jack.

''How are you this morning?'' North asked, not missing the dark circles underneath Jack's eyes.

''Still tired, but better than before.'' Jack answered truthfully. Pitch thankfully hadn't acted out his threat of keeping him up all night, and he had managed to get some sleep, but he was still too worried to get a good night's rest. He had woken up early and decided to fly around the pole a little. Well aware of what the others would say if they found out, he decided to keep that fact to himself. ''I wanted to ask you about that book. The one on merging.''

''Ah,'' North replied, turning back to his desk. ''I have not yet found it. Yetis and elves are still looking though, so no need to worry.''

''Uh, you see, I was thinking.'' Jack replied, quickly thinking up his excuse as the words left his mouth. ''I'm not entirely back to my old self, and with the Pumpkin King throwing flaming pumpkins at me and all, it might be better if I stay here. So I might as well make myself useful and try to help find that book.''

North eyed Jack suspiciously. He agreed with Jack's statement, but he didn't think Jack would volunteer staying at the pole for the time being. He knew better than to think that Jack enjoyed staying in one place for too long, he was a free spirit after all.

''Is everything ok?'' He decided to ask, not entirely convinced that the boy didn't have a secret agenda.

''Yeah, everything's fine.'' Jack answered quicker than he'd intended. He sighed, trying to cover it up with another lie. ''No, it's not. I'm not fine, I'm bored. All I'm doing all day is lying in bed and sleeping, it's driving me crazy! I know I can't go out now that the Pumpkin King is free again, so I thought the least I could do was move around the pole a bit more and actually _do _something.''

Part of it was true. He was bored, and he was desperate for something to do. He just decided to leave out the bit where Pitch was talking to him in his head and he wasn't sure how to stop it.

Satisfied with Jack's answer for the time being, North described the book to Jack. He didn't remember the title, but it was a small, red book with golden letters. If his memory served him right, there was a drawing of a blue and a black line whirling around each other on the back of the book. Jack grinned and thanked North, bolting out of the office and towards the library.

**And that's the end of yet another chapter! **

**Just a small AN: Jack of the Lantern, or Stingy Jack, or the Pumpkin King, was a real asshole according to the myth. There are a few variations of the story, but at all times, Stingy Jack is a criminal who tricks the devil in sparing his life for ten more years. After these ten years, he tricks the devil once again and makes a deal with him that his soul will never end up in hell, so instead he is forced to roam around between hell and earth for the rest of eternity. I decided to give this myth a little twist, making the deal that he can remain a free spirit as long as he sacrifices children in his place.**

**Thank you very much for reading it, I hope you enjoyed it and please feel free to review :) Xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! So here's the next chapter to my fanfic :) Enjoy reading it!**

When North walked into the library later that day, he was faced with a huge mess. Jack was instructing yetis to find every single red book with golden letters on it, and there appeared to be quite a collection. Jack was flying through the large space, throwing red books down from the higher parts of the bookshelves for the yetis to catch.

Knowing that this was the only way to find the book, North decided to let it slide, although he did make a note of cleaning and tidying the library once all of this was finished. Jack soon spotted the older man and went down to meet him.

''Any luck?'' North asked, already suspecting to know the answer.

''Do you know just how many books there are in here?'' Jack complained, gesturing at all the books with red covers that were scattered around the room. ''And there are so many red books! I'll be happy if we find that thing sometime next year.''

''I'll have more yetis look around the pole for any books that are not here.'' North assured Jack, but all he got was a weary groan. Jack seemed slightly more agitated than usual, and his previous behavior in the office as well as the day before was reason enough for North to grow concerned. ''Can we talk?''

Jack looked at North and hesitantly complied, following the man out of the busy room. It was a good thing that Christmas was just over, otherwise North would have been unable to have this many yetis helping Jack in his search.

''What's going on?'' Jack asked when they reached North's office, the guardian turning around to face him, his expression serious.

''I could ask you the same.'' North quipped, folding his arms over his chest. ''You have been behaving strange. What is wrong?''

Jack swallowed. He'd anticipated having to explain things further to the others, but he hadn't counted on it happening this soon. He thought he'd kept up quite a good pretence, but clearly he wasn't going to fool North anytime soon. Still, Jack couldn't help himself when he kept up his act.

''Nothing's wrong,'' He started casually. Lying came easy to him, he'd done it countless times before. Lying to a friend, however, proved tricky. ''I mean, there's a pumpkin throwing spirit after my head and I've apparently done something that has consequences no one knows about and the only book that might help clear things up is missing, but other than that everything's just great.''

''Jack-'' North started, but for some reason Jack just snapped, only proving his point more.

''I said I'm fine!'' Jack cut him off, his grip on his staff tightening. ''Seriously, don't you and Bunny have anything better to do than babysit me all day?!''

North watched as Jack stormed out of the room, nearly bumping into Bunny on his way back to the library. Bunny watched him go, then turned into the office and pointed over his shoulder. He'd heard Jack snap at North, but why was an entirely different question.

''What's up with him?'' He asked bewildered, but North just shrugged.

''We'll keep an eye on him.'' North stated, knowing that Bunny would do so even without his saying. Jack was doing something he hadn't seen the boy do since the first few months he'd joined the guardians. He was pulling away from them, keeping them at arm's length.

When Jack had first joined them, he had struggled to let them in, having been on his own for the majority of his time as a spirit. He would avoid them, or even become hostile towards them, whenever he was hurt or worried about something, and it had taken them all a couple of months to finally see that. It had taken another few months for Jack to stop doing it, so the fact that he was back to old habits raised alarms with them.

Jack had walked so fast to get away from North's suspicious look that he had forgotten where he initially wanted to go. He ended up in a part of the pole that appeared abandoned, not a sound to be heard. Jack didn't recall having been here before, and he prided himself in knowing almost every corner of the pole.

Once he was finally allowed in the building, he had spent weeks exploring the maze of corridors, familiarizing himself with every room that there was. This part, it appeared, he'd missed.

Deciding that some exploring might help him calm down, he continued down the hallway, trying a worn, wooden door to his left. The door opened to reveal something that made his heart sink. Another room filled with books. How did North forget to mention that there was another, slightly smaller, library? Then again, if Jack had to judge by the amount of dust that covered the place, no one had been here in a long time.

Jack sighed and entered the room. It was quiet in this room, and it was that peace and quiet that he needed right now. He needed not just the book, but time to think. He had to set his priorities straight, and then he needed to consider how to explain his previous outburst to North, and Bunny, who he assumed would have heard at least part of it.

Jack tried to look around for a light, but there wasn't as much as a window. Sighing again, he walked back into the corridor and checked the remaining rooms in search of a torch. He eventually found three candles and some matches, and brought them back to the dusty room. He lit the candles and placed them so part of the room was at least slightly lit, and he kept the door open to allow light from the corridor to leak into the room.

''Where's Jack?'' Bunny asked Phil, who was carrying a pile of red covered books over to one of the already overfilled desks. Phil stopped and looked at Bunny confused.

''Ya know, the little spirit who has a passion for freezing things.'' Bunny tried again, getting slightly agitated. He'd asked three yetis already, but none of them had seen Jack. When Phil informed him that Jack hadn't come back yet after leaving with North, Bunny's stomach churned. Surely that kid couldn't have gotten himself into trouble walking from one room to the other? Thanking Phil for the information, he raced back to the office, getting North to help him search the halls.

Tooth had already returned when Bunny came in, and agreed on helping in their search. Baby tooth, who'd come with her to visit Jack, reluctantly agreed to stay behind and wait for Sandy.

Jack had checked every book in the first few rows of bookcases, and was currently moving the candles to light up the next part. Although he hadn't found what he was looking for, he had spotted some books he'd like to have a look at later.

He was going through another row of books when he saw something move in the corner of his eye. He dismissed it as being a shadow of the flame dancing on the candle at first, but reached for his staff and was on high alert when it happened again. He listened carefully, but the only sound that reached his ears was that of his own heart racing in his chest.

He turned on his heels when one of the candles suddenly burned brighter, the flame growing oddly high, almost reaching the ceiling. The other candles soon did the same, leaving the room eerily lit with shadows dancing wildly on the walls and bookcases.

''I know you're there!'' Jack growled angrily, his eyes glancing over the room in search of the spirit. He turned around when he heard something, but whatever it was, was gone when he had turned around. Jack swallowed thickly.

_''__On your left.'' _Pitch's warned, and Jack reacted instinctively and jumped up, his right foot only just avoiding the hot fireball that flew underneath him and clashed into a bookcase, tipping it over. _''You're welcome.''_

Jack wasn't sure why Pitch had helped him, or how, but he wasn't going to ask about that now. He turned his head left and only just saw the cloaked figure disappearing behind one of the bookcases. Jack quickly hit the bookcase that had tipped over with a ray of ice, immediately stopping the small fire that had started and avoiding it to grow any larger.

Jack flew up and landed on top of one of the bookcases that was still standing, looking around in search of Jack of the Lantern. He gritted his teeth and listened carefully. He heard something drop a few bookcases away and jolted forward. There he saw the spirit again, but before he could do anything, he felt something collide with his back, sending him flying head first into a bookcase.

Jack fell to the ground limply and groaned. That hurt. He shook his head slightly, regretting the movement when it only hurt more, and then looked up, suddenly face to face with a demon.

It looked much like one of Pitch's nightmares. It was about the same size, but shaped more like an odd kind of pit bull than a horse. It's fur was black, their eyes a dark crimson. Looking around, Jack saw four more demons, and he pursed his lips.

''It's been a while.'' Jack's head shot up to see the Pumpkin King sitting on top of one of the bookcases, his legs crossed and swinging idly. His voice was the same as Jack remembered it; low and disgustingly sweet. It was that very voice that had charmed him into becoming friends, that voice that had made him laugh countless times with silly stories Jack eventually gathered were made up.

''I won't let you do it again.'' Jack snarled, getting back to his feet to fight the demons that surrounded him. He wasn't at his full strength, but then again, neither had he been when he'd first fought the demons nearly two hundred years ago. ''I won't let you take another child!''

''Oh Jack,'' The spirit laughed menacingly, his orange eyes burning with a rage Jack knew was directed toward him. ''You can't stop me. You couldn't finish me last time, what makes you think this time's any different? I'll collect as many souls as I need, and then some.''

Jack roared angrily and tried to fly up, but he was attacked by one of the demons first. He only just dodged it when another one jumped towards him, its fangs bared and its claws ready to strike. Jack blew the demon away with a blast of ice, but the other demons started to surround him again.

''I just wanted you to know that with every soul I take, I'll be thinking of you. It will be painful and scary for those poor kids you love so much, and it will be your fault that they're going to hell.'' The king of Halloween grinned like a Cheshire cat and swiftly moved from the bookcase and out of the room, disappearing from Jack's sight when one of the demons tried to bite him again.

Jack had managed to defeat two of them so far, but they kept coming at him and he couldn't see well enough in the dimly lit room to aim properly. Jack had tried to make his way back to a brighter place a couple of times, but they kept blocking his exit, attacking him again and again.

It was when Jack was sure he was unable to dodge one of the demons that a boomerang came flying into the room, crashing hard into the side of the dog like creature. Jack looked back to the entrance to the library and relief came over him at seeing Bunnymund there.

''Get over here, ya Gumby!'' The Pooka called over, and Jack flew into his direction. It was only then that he spotted something on the floor; a red book with a blue and black line spiraling around one another was lying on the floor, having fallen from the bookshelf Jack had hit only moments before.

''That's it!'' He called out, and he changed directions as quickly as he could. He could hear Bunny calling his name, but he had to get that book.

_''__Left again!'' _And just like before, Jack moved in reaction to Pitch's warning, turning his staff and blasting down the demon that had jumped at him with a ray of ice. ''Thanks…'' Jack mumbled softly, quickly flying down and snatching the book up from the floor.

Bunny warded off the other demons as Jack raced out of the room and into the light, where he could finally see the creatures better than against the dark shadows. It was only seconds later that North and Tooth came racing in through the same corridor, and the demons quickly fled through one of the windows.

''Jack, are you ok?'' Tooth asked frantically, checking him over for any injuries. He had a slight scratch on his forehead from when it collided with the bookcase, but other than that he appeared to be just fine.

''Yeah, I'm fine.'' He assured her, when suddenly Bunny stepped in front of him, glaring angrily. Jack took a step back, but the Pooka just moved closer to him again, leaning forward so that his face was at level with Jack's.

''What were ya thinking?!'' He roared, the loudness of his voice making Jack flinch as it echoed through the hallway. ''Ya could've got yourself killed, and for what?! A book?''

It was only then that the others registered the book Jack had been holding onto tightly. North's eyed widened when he saw the symbol on the back.

''You found it!'' He stated enthusiastically, but Bunny's glare made him shut his mouth again.

''…'m sorry.'' Bunny turned back around to Jack and noticed that the boy's shoulders were shaking, his head hanging slightly as he looked down at the ground. Bunny could have kicked himself right then. He'd upset Jack. Again. Bunny just didn't understand why Jack was so bloody eager to get that book now. They could have gone back for it later, when they weren't being attacked by oversized demonic dogs.

Bunny suddenly remembered the way Jack had moved back there. There was no way Jack could have seen the demon on his left. Hell, Bunny hadn't seen him until Jack blasted it away as he kept going for the book, barely sparing the creature a glance.

Then there had been the muttering Bunny's ears had picked up on. It wasn't much, just a single word, but he could've sworn that Jack had said 'thanks' to someone. Was that directed to him? Bunny doubted it.

''Frostbite-'' He began, pushing his anger aside for the time being, but Jack interrupted him.

''I said I was sorry!'' The boy's head snapped up, and the tears in his eyes broke their hearts. Jack's shoulders slumped, his body still shivering ever so slightly with shock, and he turned his head away.

''I just want to be alone for a while.'' He uttered, slowly walking away from the guardians. Any of them could have stopped him, and although they all wanted to stay by Jack's side to protect him from the Pumpkin King, none of them had the heart to deny Jack's wish.

Jack retreated into his room, sitting down cross legged on the bed with the book in front of him. It was just like North had told him. From the looks of it, the book was very old. The paged were yellow and ripped in some places, and the edges were slightly rigged. The book wasn't very big, it had a red cover and a swirling symbol of black and blue on the back. On the front, there was the word 'synthesis' written in golden letters.

_''__Are you just going to stare at that book now that you've found it?'' _Pitch's remark was unwanted at the moment, but he couldn't help but ask what he'd been wondering earlier on.

''Why did you help me back there?'' He mumbled skeptically. He could somehow hear Pitch sigh.

_''__For someone who manage to merge- or 'synthesize', you're not really thinking this over, are you?'' _Jack was about to ask what that was supposed to mean, but Pitch continued. _''I had my suspicions confirmed when you smacked into that bookcase.''_

Jack was puzzled, but there was one thing that came to mind, and for some strange reason, it amused him.

''Are you saying that you felt that?'' Jack asked with a slight smirk on his face, and the annoyed grumble that came from Pitch was plenty confirmation.

_''__Yes, well, try not to do it again.'' _For some reason, Jack could almost feel Pitch's annoyance when he chuckled. _''What?''_

''Nothing,'' Jack shrugged lightly. ''But I guess you can't deny me any sleep now, can you?''

Bunny had waited a moment, but had eventually decided that he needed to apologize for his outburst, and so he walked to Jack's room. He had almost knocked on the door when he had heard Jack talking. For a second, the first thing that came to mind was the Pumpkin King, but something about the way Jack was talking didn't make that feel right. Curiosity made him put his head against the door.

It was a short conversation, but what was being said was what had Bunny's stomach turning. Jack was asking someone why he helped, and then there was silence. Then there was another question about feeling something, and again it was met with silence, followed by a chuckle from Jack. Bunny had had enough when he heard Jack say something about denying sleep, and found himself knocking on the door.

Jack jumped when Bunny knocked on the door. Apparently he wasn't going to wait for Jack to answer either, because he immediately opened it and slowly walked inside. Jack couldn't figure out what the expression on the Pooka's face was, but he swallowed thickly when his friend asked him directly.

''Who were ya talking to?'' Bunny inquired, settling on the edge of the bed right next to Jack, who appeared to have gone a shade paler.

''No one.'' Jack tried futilely, ducking his head when he expected Bunny to yell at him again. Instead he found a warm paw gently squeezing his shoulder.

''Look, I'm sorry for yellin' at ya before, Snowflake,'' He began patiently, swallowing his pride as long as it helped Jack open up to them again. ''But ya got to tell us what's going on with ya.'' With his other paw, he slowly lifted Jack's chin up, meeting his eyes. Jack could see the worry in them where he'd expected to see anger and disappointment. ''Guardians don't just protect children, they protect their own. Let us in.''

Jack bit his bottom lip. It had been years since they'd told him that, but he could see now that it was something he needed to remember. He closed his eyes and sighed wearily, lowering his head again before he speak barely above a whisper.

''I can hear him…'' He mumbled, elaborating when he saw the puzzled look Bunny was giving him from the corner of his eye. ''Pitch.''

Bunny's ears sloped down to his back, his jaw dropping slightly and his eyes growing big.

''Oh…'' That was all he could think of saying, finally understanding why Jack had been so eager to grab that book. None of them knew what would happen if you sealed someone away in another spirit, so it was obvious that Jack was desperate for some answers. Jack smiled sadly.

''Yeah…'' He laughed bitterly, running a hand over his face. ''Just another thing to add to the pile of problems I'm causing, huh?''

Bunnymund pursed his lips, recognizing the tone. Jack had taken his previous statement of getting into trouble after he'd only been back for a week to heart. Maybe that was why he'd been reluctant to share this with them, because he thought he was being an inconvenience. Bunny wasn't sure how to voice his apology, and so instead he focused on what he'd heard before.

''So were ya talking to him just now?'' He asked hesitantly, receiving a nod in reply. So Jack was the only one who could hear Pitch. Another thought then came to mind. ''Is he hurting you?'' He asked nervously.

''Actually, I hurt _him_ earlier.'' Jack then explained how Pitch had apparently felt it when Jack had been thrown into the shelves. He told him how Pitch had been the one to warn him for the demon coming at him when he'd reached for the book, and although Bunny was reluctant to admit it, Jack's 'thanks' that he now knew had been directed to Pitch was righteous.

''Please don't tell the others.'' That request took the Pooka by surprise. He thought they'd gotten past the point of keeping everyone out, but somehow, Bunny understood.

''I'll let ya tell them in your own time.'' He replied, silently telling Jack that he would have to tell them the truth someday. Jack seemed okay with that. ''So what are ya going to do now?''

''Read, I guess.'' Jack shrugged, looking back at the book. He let his fingers go over the gold lettering. ''I hope that I'll be able to understand it more after that. Maybe control it somehow.''

Bunny nodded and decided to leave Jack alone then. He squeezed Jack's shoulder once again, receiving a faint smile from Jack, and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He turned to his left and saw Sandy, Tooth and North standing there, looking sadly. Bunny sighed wearily.

''Ya heard, didn't ya?'' He asked softly, ensuring that Jack couldn't hear them by walking further down the hallway. Their silence confirmed it.

''Why didn't he tell us sooner?'' Tooth asked upset. Sandy had his suspicions, but he didn't want to admit it.

''He thinks he's causing us too much trouble.'' Bunny responded grimly, voicing Sandy's theory. North remained uncharacteristically silent, feeling overcome with guilt.

Jack had watched Bunny leave, after which he'd turned his attention back to the book in front of him. He didn't move to open it, but just looked at the book for a while, taking in the single word on the cover.

_''__You know how to read, right?'' _Pitch quipped, getting bored of staring at the book without actually opening and reading it.

''Of course I do.'' Jack mumbled back. He had never been very good at reading as a child, but as a spirit, he'd actually slipped into classes every once in a while. He'd go into libraries or bookstores at night and read whatever sounded interesting.

Taking a deep breath, Jack opened the book on the first page and began to read the first chapter:

_Synthesis means 'the combining of separate elements or substances to form a whole'. As far as we know, synthesis among spirits is so rare that most consider it to be a myth. No one knows how it is achieved successfully, nor is anyone aware of the consequences. We hope to shed some light on that, for we, at the very least, succeeded. Our synthesis was a voluntary one, although our options were limited at the time. We will spare whoever decides to read this the details of the situation, however we will go through how we managed this rare technique, although the description might be a little vague at times._

Jack continued to read about the writers' synthesis, fascinated now that he knew the book had actually been written by two spirits who'd managed to do the same thing he had. It had happened the same way Jack remembered he'd done it; One of them had let the other in, combining their magic. As he continued reading, he came across their theory as to why only certain spirits could synthesize:

_We believe that synthesis is a rare technique because it requires two things: First of all, it requires both spirits to be one with their magic, which is something not all spirits can do. This is essential, as one of the spirits will have to lose its physical form and enter the 'main body', as we decided to call it. This body will from then on be shared by both spirits, which enables them to see, hear, smell, taste, and feel the same things at all times. The main body may not look the same as it did before the synthesis occurred._

Jack frowned when he read the last sentence. He jumped up from the bed and opened the large closet that stood against the side wall, eyeing himself carefully. He didn't see anything different about himself. Did that mean that their synthesis was different? After all, theirs hadn't been voluntary, at least not on Pitch's behalf. Jack walked back to the book, but stopped suddenly.

''So if you can see the same as me, how did you see that demon and I didn't?'' Jack asked curiously.

_''__I've spent more time in the shadows than you, Frost.'' _Came Pitch's reply. _''I know what to look out for.''_

That somehow made sense. Jack shrugged and sat back down, crossing his legs and placing the book on his lap. He continued reading the first chapter, which didn't tell him much he didn't already know. Apparently the two synthesized spirits could hear each other, but the one who'd given up his physical form could not be heard by other spirits. That much was the same with him and Pitch. The spirits, whose names he still hadn't discovered, as they hadn't written them on the cover, then assured the reader that they would experiment further with their situation, logging it all in the rest of the book.

Bunnymund softly knocked on Jack's door. He had spoken to the others, who promised they wouldn't reveal the fact that they knew as long as Jack didn't want them to know. They had all agreed that they needed to make Jack feel at home again, remembering how much the winter spirit had struggled with it the first time around.

''Jack? You alright, mate?'' Bunny asked when he didn't get a response to his knock, now slowly opening the large wooden door. He smiled faintly when he saw why. Jack was lying on his bed on top of his covers, the book he'd been reading lying open on his lap.

Bunny walked into the room and tiptoed to Jack's bedside, carefully taking the book and placing it on the small cabinet. He carefully lifted Jack up, pulling the sheets back and placing his friend back down on the mattress. Jack didn't stir as he draped the sheets over him.

As he turned to walk back out of the room, Bunny accidentally bumped into the night cabinet. He flinched when the book fell down to the ground with a loud thud. He looked back at Jack and relaxed when he found him still fast asleep. For a second, Bunny thought about sitting down in the arm chair near Jack's bed and reading the book himself, but for some reason, he didn't dare to open it. The book felt heavy in his paws, a chill running up his spine. It was almost as if it held a certain power of its own, and Bunny quickly found himself placing it back on the cabinet and racing out the door.

Surprised by his own reaction, the Pooka headed to the only person he knew had read the book before. Seeing the door open, Bunny didn't bother to knock as he walked into North's office.

''Hey, North?'' The man looked up from his drawings. He'd been trying to design a new toy, feeling the need to occupy himself with something he knew would calm him down. ''I, uh, I was wondering… Ya know that book snowflake's reading?''

''What about it?'' North asked, his curiosity peaked.

''I know ya said that ya read it a long time ago, but how much of it do ya remember?'' Bunny fidgeted nervously. North eyed him momentarily, then leaned back in his chair.

''You tried to open it, no?'' He continued before Bunny could ask him how he knew. ''I felt it too. That book holds power, it is not easy to read. That is why I do not remember much; I couldn't read past the second chapter.''

**That's the end of yet another chapter! IThanks again for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please feel free to review! :) Xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Here's the latest chapter to my fic :) It might take me a bit longer the next month or so to post chapters as I'm currently on a holiday (well, I'm visiting my family for a month), my apologies for that. Anyway, enjoy, and feel free to review :)**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the RotG characters. Yes Phil, that includes you.**

''Okay, I'm confused.'' Bunny held up his hands, shaking his head and a frown creasing his brow. ''Ya didn't read the entire book?''

''I couldn't.'' North acknowledged with a sigh, gesturing for Bunny to sit down in the chair that stood near his desk. ''I tried though. Took me almost twelve years to read the first two chapters. It appears whoever wrote the book put a spell on it.''

''What kind of spell?'' Bunnymund asked, settling in the chair North had pointed at.

''I'm not sure, but I think whoever wrote the book did not want it to be read by the wrong people.'' The guardian of Wonder theorized. ''Like I said, it is a dangerous thing to do. Perhaps the writer didn't want people to use the technique.''

''Frostbite seemed okay reading it.'' Bunny mentioned, remembering how the book had been open on his lap when he'd found the guardian fast asleep.

''Hmm…'' North rubbed his beard as he thought that over. ''Perhaps it is because Jack already synthesized.''

That made sense. Perhaps the book wasn't meant for those who wanted to synthesize, but for those who already had. Like a guide book. Bunny had to agree with North's theory, having felt just how compelled he'd been to put the book back down once he'd picked it up.

''How is Jack?'' North asked suddenly, drawing the Pooka out of his thoughts. He couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips when he thought back at how the winter spirit had been lying when he'd walked in.

''Out cold, so to speak. He's sleeping like a baby.'' He commented, and clearly he wasn't the only one who was satisfied by that. North smiled warmly, and Bunny then figured it was time for him to get some rest as well. He said goodnight to his old friend, then turned on his heels and left for his own room.

Jack awoke the next morning from a peaceful night of sleep. Something had him on alert the moment he sat up, his eyes scanning his surroundings. His heart was pounding so hard against his ribcage that he feared it would bruise.

_''__You're not paranoid.'' _Pitch whispered despite the fact that only Jack could hear him. Call it instinct, but he was just as aware of the presence nearby as Jack had been. Jack slowly reached for his staff at the same time as he threw his legs over the edge of the bed. He stood up just as someone slowly turned the knob on his door, and Jack raised his staff, ready to attack.

''Whoa! Easy!'' Bunny held up his arms as Jack almost jumped at him the second he opened the door, his eyes dark. Jack froze in his step, mirroring Bunny's stance and holding up his hands.

''Couldn't you _knock,_ Cotton Tail?!'' He sighed wearily, the feeling of being watched not quite yet gone. ''I could've hurt you.''

Bunny almost snapped back at Jack, but the spirit's behaviour had him on alert as well. He knew Jack wouldn't just raise his staff at anyone who walked in without knocking, and he therefore deduced that Jack felt threatened.

''Sorry, I didn't want to wake ya in case ya were still sleeping.'' He apologized calmly, his ears perked up as he tried to figure out if it was a sound that had Jack on edge. ''Why are ya this weary anyway? Did something happen?''

Jack shook his head.

''Not really.'' The winter spirit began. ''I mean- I don't know, I guess it's just a feeling.''

''Well, never ignore your gut.'' Bunny argued, hoping that was what Jack needed to hear. ''Ya probably felt that way for a reason.''

Relieved that Bunnymund believed him, Jack took another look around his room. Nothing seemed out of place, and so he placed his staff back against the wall. He slumped down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand over his face.

''I'm sorry for almost attacking you…'' He murmured embarrassed, his heartbeat finally slowing down. Bunny joined him on the bed and smiled at Jack warmly.

''That's alright.'' Bunny assured him, gently placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. ''I probably would've dodged it anyway.'' That made Jack smile faintly.

''You saying I'm slow?'' He asked mock insulted. Bunny smirked and shrugged.

''I'm saying ya can't beat a rabbit, mate.'' He teased, successfully restoring some of the playful banter that had been going on between them. Jack chuckled, then threw himself back onto the bed.

''If I wasn't too freaked out I'd race you right now to prove you wrong.'' Jack replied slightly more serious, the smile on his face slowly contorting into a frown. ''Do you think I'm a bad person?''

''Of course not,'' Bunny replied instantly, the question taking him by surprise. ''Why would ya think that?'' Jack pursed his lips and stared aimlessly at the ceiling.

''I was his friend.'' He eventually spoke. ''I played around with him for years and I never noticed what he had been doing. I should have asked him sooner, should have looked into it.''

''Jack, ya didn't know what he did at the time.'' Bunny argued, but Jack shook his head.

''I knew about the killings that had been going on.'' He confessed bitterly. ''I knew that something was wrong, but I never even bothered to try and find out who or what had been doing it. I could have stopped it sooner if only I had stopped feeling so sorry for myself.''

''That wasn't your job to do, snowflake.'' Bunny insisted, waiting for Jack to meet his gaze before he continued. ''Ya were a young spirit with no believers, not a guardian. If there was anyone who should've been there for the children, it was us. Don't beat yourself up over it. Besides, ya did stop him eventually. Ya did good.''

If Bunny noticed the faint blush creeping up the winter spirit's neck, he didn't mention it. He simply smiled and gave a reassuring nod. Jack mirrored the smile, then jumped up from the bed.

''So what brought you to my room anyway?'' He asked, his attitude changing again in less than a second. He paced through the room, reached for his staff again and tapped it lightly on the walls to create beautiful ice patterns. Finally, he hopped up onto the balcony, pushing the window open to let Wind in.

''Ah,'' The Pooka got up as well, taking a second to get adjusted to the change in the mood. ''North asked me to check up on ya, that's all.''

Truth was that he'd decided to check up on Jack himself. He had been thinking about what he and North had discussed the previous evening, and he couldn't help but wonder about the contents of the book. He agreed with North's theory, and he wasn't planning on trying to read the book again, but he was curious to see what Jack discovered, and if it helped him control Pitch better.

Jack replied with a soft 'oh' and then turned his back to the guardian, closing his eyes as he felt the cold breeze against his skin. He longed to just jump out of that window right then, to fly off and enjoy his freedom. Even now that he was out of the lake, Jack felt restrained. He understood why, and he was aware of his own physical limits at the moment, but it felt wrong.

Even when he'd been alive, he had never sat still for too long. He'd always been outside, exploring the woods, or playing games with the younger children in his village. He had always dreamed about going further than the woods, but he had a family to go back to, a sister to look out for.

Now that he was a spirit, free to go wherever he pleased, it was even more challenging to fight the urge to fly off without looking back. Of course, he'd created a new family to turn back to, and he had more children to look after than ever before, but his heart yearned for a sense of freedom.

Jack opened his eyes again and sighed. He had to be patient, he told himself. He couldn't leave now, especially not with the threat of the Pumpkin King. They had to find him and stop him before he could hurt any other children, but they also had to be wary of the fact that the Pumpkin King wasn't unlikely to seek revenge. His previous 'visit' had confirmed that.

So Jack waited. He spent most of his time reading the book to try and understand his synthesis better, but it proved to be a difficult task the further he got in the book. It had been hand written, and the changes in the 'main body' became more and more evident the more you read.

First, the writers started to describe how they were able to merge their powers together. It apparently made their attacks more powerful, something they claimed had been essential in the time they'd been around.

It later became evident that this wasn't the only thing that was possible. They soon learned how to share thoughts without speaking. It was more efficient, but it also resulted in some discoveries on both sides. They couldn't hide anything they thought, and so the two spirits who had once before been friends started to see sides of each other they'd never seen before.

This created friction between the two spirits, and soon a battle for control started. The fact that they had succeeded in logging it all proved one of the few things they had in common; a scientific interest. They'd been their own lab rats, and they were currently paying the price.

Jack hadn't read much further, struggling to decipher the sloppy scribbles that were the result of two minds controlling one body. However, that wasn't the only reason for him to stop his reading. Jack was feeling restless.

It had been four days since he and Bunny had talked about his old 'friend', and they hadn't gotten any closer to a solution. They had no idea where Jack of the Lantern would strike first, hadn't the faintest clue as to where he could be. Jack had bitterly told them that it had always been the Pumpkin King who had found him, not the other way around.

The winter spirit was also getting nowhere with the book. The 'side effects' that the two spirits spoke of had not yet happened to him, and he hoped that they never would, as they were mainly negative. There was nothing in the book so far on how to control the changes, they just happened, and Jack didn't like the sound of that.

He was pacing back and forth in his room once again. Baby tooth, who'd come to visit, was watching him concerned, resting on the staff that was leaning against the wall. She jumped and chirped when Jack suddenly grabbed the staff and took long, quick steps towards the window, snatching the book from the bed as he passed it.

''I can't do this.'' He stated irritated as way of explanation, hauling the window open. Baby tooth flew around him and tried to stop him from going, but she could see it wasn't working. ''I have to get out of here, baby tooth. I can't stand this anymore. I'll be back.''

Just like that, baby tooth watched as he jumped out of the window, easily getting caught by Wind, who swept him further away quicker than she could follow. She flew back into the pole and rushed through the corridors, around the yetis that walked by and towards North's office, where Toothiana and North were chatting idly.

Earlier on, they'd been discussing their options for finding the Pumpkin King. Sandy and Tooth both volunteered to start a search during their work, but they suspected it wouldn't be that easy. The dark spirit wouldn't just show himself to them unless he wanted to, and so they tried to come up with another plan.

The conversation had somehow ended up as a discussion about the most difficult areas around the world to get to as they handed out gifts or collected teeth, but they paused when baby tooth chirped frantically, gesturing wildly with her little arms.

''What? Slow down, what happened?'' Tooth requested, listening carefully as baby tooth once again tried to explain. ''Jack left?!''

Tooth and North exchanged a look, then quickly raced back towards Jack's room, baby tooth flying ahead of them. North loudly ordered everyone in their path to move aside, and all yetis and elves alike hurried out of their way. They stood in the doorway and eyed the empty room, their gaze landing on the open window Jack had jumped out of.

''Ya let him leave?!'' Bunny bellowed shocked once he and Sandy had been brought up to speed. He had gone back to the Warren for the day to ensure that everything was in order, and when he'd come back he had found North and Tooth looking at him guiltily, with Sandy shrugging to indicate that they hadn't told him yet either.

''We did not 'let him leave', he just left.'' North countered, although he didn't blame Bunny for snapping. They had all seen the longing glances towards the windows whenever they'd been with Jack, they should have kept an eye on him to ensure that he didn't run off like he had. They had called Sandy back to the pole immediately and had been about to get Bunnymund when the Pooka had arrived on his own.

''Well what are we standing around for then?'' Bunny asked, already tapping his foot on the ground, creating an entrance to his tunnels. ''We've got to find Frostbite.'' The 'before the Pumpkin King does' had been silent, yet everyone heard it.

''And where exactly do we start, hmm?'' North inquired rationally, hoping to slow things down a little. ''Jack could be anywhere.''

''Do think he went back to the lake?'' Tooth jumped in. Sandy created a symbol of a sun with an 'X' through it above his head, and North agreed.

''You are right, Jack is probably nowhere 'hot'.'' North voiced Sandy's input, but Bunny was clearly not going to stand around waiting.

''I'll start at the lake and go on from there. If anyone finds the little rascal, bring him back here and use the lights to let the others know.'' He didn't waste any more time and jumped down the tunnel, racing to his first destination.

Jack landed softly in the white snow, his footprints being the only ones around as he wandered around the South Pole. He had flown past Burgess and had considered paying Jamie a visit, but had eventually gone for what he longed for most: solitude. He wanted a place where he could just _be, _a place where he could explore and sit and think.

At the South Pole, there was no one watching him. There wasn't the sound of yetis stomping past his bedroom door, or the constant ringing of the elves' bells as they did god knows what. Here, he didn't feel like every step he took was being monitored to ensure his safety. He knew they all meant well, but their concern had only made him feel more restricted.

He chuckled when Wind whirled around him playfully, and he obliged to her request to play as he leaped from one ice berg to the next. He flew up into the sky, felt the cold air brushing over him, and closed his eyes as he dropped back down, allowing Wind to catch him at the last second.

He landed gracefully back on the snowy ground, and for a moment he just stood there and looked. He watched the view ahead of him with a content smile, a sense of peace coming over him. He sat down in the snow and placed the book he'd been holding onto back on his lap.

_''__I thought you needed a break, Frost.'' _Jack was starting to get used to the fact that he was never truly alone, although he didn't particularly like his permanent companion. Although they didn't exactly get along, Jack had to admit that talking to Pitch hadn't been as bad as he thought it to be before.

''I also need answers.'' Jack answered with a shrug, opening the book on the right page. Pitch had sometimes proven helpful in reading the book, as he was sometimes able to decipher the scribbling better than the winter spirit.

Slowly but surely, Jack began to read the next page:

_It has been months since our synthesis, and we have come to a mutual decision: we wish to break it. Although this experiment has yet to be finished, recent developments lead us to believe that the long term effects could be catastrophic. Our magic does not go together, and where we once saw potential for new power, we now see a struggle for dominance._

Jack lost all sense of time as he continued to sit there and read. He wouldn't have noticed that it was getting dark if it wasn't for the fact that he was starting to struggle to see the letters, not because the writing was horrible, but because of the poor light. Reluctantly, Jack closed the book, picked it up and got back to his feet. He wasn't quite ready to go back to the Pole yet, and so he decided to make a quick stop in Burgess.

Jamie was sitting underneath his blankets, holding a flashlight in his hand as he read a book about the Loch Ness monster. He had to ask the guardians about that one when he saw them again. Most children his age had stopped believing, but Jamie and a handful of his friends still remembered that night they helped the guardians defeat Pitch, and so his light still burned brightly on the globe back at the Pole.

He almost didn't hear the knock on his window, but the soft 'psst' that followed it made him throw his blanket on the ground and turn his head to look outside. He smiled from ear to ear when Jack was floating just in front of his window, smirking brightly. Jamie jumped out of bed and opened the window, letting his friend in.

''You're back!'' Jamie cheered, quickly remembering that his parents would probably be mad if they discovered he was still awake. Jack held a finger to his lips and both of them listened carefully for Jamie's parents, relieved when they didn't appear to have heard the boy.

''It's good to see you.'' Jack said with a smile. He walked around the room and noticed how despite not having been in the room for over three years, hardly anything had changed. The clothes that were draped over the chair were larger than Jack had seen them, but then again that was to be expected. Jamie had grown a fair bit in the past three years.

''The Loch Ness monster?'' Jack chuckled when he picked up the book Jamie had been reading. Jamie smiled and took the book from him, placing it on the bedside cabinet.

''I wanted to ask you about that, actually,'' Jamie replied enthusiastically, and Jack was thrilled to see that it wasn't just his room that had barely changed. Jamie turned back to him and looked at him with big eyes. ''Does the Loch Ness monster exist? If so, what's it like? Is it a spirit, or like, something else?''

''Honestly, I don't know.'' Jack answered truthfully, promising Jamie that he'd look into it. They continued their conversation as if the past three years hadn't happened. Jamie was Jamie, Jack was Jack. Their bond was strong, special. It is always that way with your first believer, North had once told him. Whatever the reason, Jack promised himself that he would continue to protect the boy long after he stopped believing, although he was frightened for the day that happened.

They had been sitting on the bed and laughing about how Jamie had apparently started the largest snowball fight in his school's history when a shadow raced past the window. Jack was instantly back on his feet, his staff raised. He picked up the flashlight that had fallen onto the blanket on the floor and passed it to Jamie.

''Keep it on and stay still.'' He ordered softly. Taking the few steps to the window, Jack saw two large demons lurking in the shadows down on the street. He pursed his lips and returned to Jamie's side. Jamie had been quiet the second Jack grabbed his staff, his mouth dry and his eyes wide.

''Is it Pitch?'' He whispered nervously, determined to push his initial shock aside and help Jack face him again if it was. He hadn't heard yet what had happened at the lake, didn't know about the synthesis. All he knew was that Jack was finally free.

''No…'' Jack replied somberly, his eyes darkening. He kept his gaze fixed on the window in case the demons decided to jump at them as he gently placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder. ''I need you to get your sister and stay on her bed. Keep the light on and call me if you see anything. Can you do that for me?''

Jamie nodded nervously and quickly climbed out of his bed. He tiptoed to the door and opened it, quietly making his way down the hallway and towards Sophie's room. Sophie was fast asleep when he flicked on the light, and he quietly climbed in bed with her. She moved slightly as he wrapped his arm around her protectively, determined to keep her safe, but she never woke up.

Jack climbed out of the window and froze the lock shut the moment Jamie left the room. He blasted a small ray of brilliant blue ice towards the wall just beside Sophie's bedroom window, and a layer of ice crept up the glass and froze the lock shut. The winter spirit raised his staff at the two hounds in front of him and stood still.

''You want a fight?!'' He called out, suspecting the dark spirit to be lurking somewhere close by. ''Come out and fight me then! Or should I freeze your pups again first?!''

_''__You sure it's a good idea to fight him here?'' _Pitch asked suddenly, but Jack didn't bother to reply. He needed the Pumpkin King to focus on him, for he feared what would happen if he turned to the children.

Without warning, the two demons jolted forward, their fangs exposed and their claws out and ready to rip him apart. Jack blasted one down with his staff and flew up in time to avoid the other, landing again with his back turned to the house, ready to protect the family that was within.

He fought the two demons off with ease, but he wasn't born yesterday. He knew there was more to come, he just didn't know what it would be that he'd be facing. He flew up to the window to Sophie's room to make sure that they were safe and made eye contact with Jamie, who looked at him nervously. He gave the boy a reassuring smile and then turned his back to the window again, floating in front of it protectively.

_''__Two o'clock, at the edge of the forest.'' _Jack looked where Pitch directed him and his eyes met with glowing orange ones. The smirk on the Pumpkin King's face was hard to miss as he stepped out of the shadows followed by what looked like an army of demons. He raised his hand slightly and a flaming pumpkin materialized in it. _''What are you going to do now, Frost?''_

Jack again denied Pitch a verbal answer, instead flying in the Pumpkin King's direction. He would never allow him to get near Jamie or Sophie, and he was more than happy to face his old friend head on if that was what it took. He avoided the pumpkin that was thrown at him with ease, but the blast of ice he sent in response was easily warded off as well.

He quickly flew back up when a demon lashed out at him, and he knocked the creature down with his staff. It almost looked like a dance when Jack traded blasts with the Pumpkin King, their powers neutralizing one another.

Jack stopped abruptly at the same time the Pumpkin King jumped away from the winter spirit's last blast, finally realizing what had been going on as they fought. The demons had slowly surrounded him, leaving him trapped with nowhere but the air to go to. Jack of the Lantern grinned menacingly.

''Good luck fighting them while I collect some souls.'' He growled, his voice laced with venom. ''I'm sure you'll be able to hear them scream your name before they're silenced for good.''

''Don't you dare touch them!'' Jack snarled furiously, but as he tried to jolt towards the dark spirit, he found himself faced with three demon hounds. He blasted one away and dodged the other two, more instantly joining the attack and successfully keeping him from getting any closer to the King of chaos.

Jack fought as best as he could as he watched the Pumpkin King melt the ice around the lock. His heart sank when he heard Jamie call for him the second the window opened, and a sense of dread made his gut churn.

He had to protect them, had to keep Jamie and Sophie safe, but there was no end to the demons that attacked him and kept him away from the house.

''Jamie get out of there!'' He called frantically, seeing nothing but the shadow of the Pumpkin King disappearing further into the girl's room. He had to do something. Gritting his teeth, Jack made a decision.

**And that's the end of chapter 5! Thank you very much if you made it this far, you deserve a cookie (or something else if you don't like cookies) :P I'll try to upload the next chapter as soon as possible. Thanks again for reading! Xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! First of all, thank you very much for all the reviews, they truly bring a smile to my face :D**

**So here's the latest chapter. I have been kind of busy with other things during my holiday, so I'm sorry for the delay.**

**Enjoy, and feel free to review!**

**Disclaimer: You know what I'm going to say, don't you? I do not own any of the RotG characters.**

Jamie had crawled underneath his sister's blanket, firmly holding onto the flashlight with one hand, the other protectively pulling Sophie closer to his chest. He peeked at the window from underneath the warm sheets, seeing flashes of blue and black. Jamie held his breath. He could hear Jack right outside, and he had faith that the guardian would protect them, but he was young, and admittedly scared.

Jamie gasped when a figure appeared in front of his window. The spirit looked right at him, his flaming orange eyes locking with his hazel ones. He watched in horror as the Pumpkin King melted the ice on the lock and slipped through the window and into the brightly lit room. Jamie called out, his sister only then opening her eyes. She lazily rubbed at them and looked up at him, and Jamie dropped the flashlight and instead held her tightly, glaring fiercely at the dark figure in front of him.

The Pumpkin King smirked like a Cheshire cat, twitching his fingers slightly as he slowly crept forth. The chuckle that emanated from his mouth made Jamie's skin crawl, and he pulled further back on the bed, his back now firmly pressed against the wall.

Jack gritted his teeth, taking a step back as he tried to consider his options once more. He wasn't sure if it would work, and he was aware of what could happen afterwards. The problem was that he didn't have the time. There was no time to think this through, he just had one thing he needed to achieve. He needed to protect Jamie and Sophie.

''I need your help.'' He murmured bitterly, his grip on his staff tightening. He lowered his stance, more demons surrounding him and ready to keep him away from the window, where he could still see the shadow of his former friend disappearing further into the room.

_''__People usually say 'please'.'' _Pitch commented. If Jack could have hit him, he would have.

''We don't have time for this and I can't do it alone! Will you help me?'' He asked. He looked up at the window again when he heard Jamie call for him once more. ''Please?!''

He could hear Pitch sigh. It was a reckless move, and although both had read the majority of 'Synthesis', neither knew if it would actually work the same in practice. It was a huge risk to take, but Jack was willing to take it if it meant that the children were safe.

_''__Very we-'' _Before Pitch could finish, a boomerang raced past them, taking out one of the hounds. Jack swirled around and saw Bunny racing into his direction, narrowly followed by the others. _''Looks like you're not alone anymore.''_

''What are ya standing there for?! Stop 'im!'' The Pooka bellowed, at the same time jumping up to catch his boomerang and throw it again. Jack didn't need to be told twice. He jolted forward, flying up to the window. Each time a demon threatened to get in his way, it was stopped by a whip of sand, a sword, or a boomerang.

Jamie leaned back against the wall as far as he could, but the dark spirit was now at the edge of the bed, slowly leaning forward.

''Jack!'' Jamie called out when the Pumpkin King ran a sickly thin hand over his cheek. His eyes were wide, his body shaking with adrenaline and fear. He kept looking at the window, then back at the dark spirit, until their faces were only inches apart. The smell of ash and smoke assaulted his nostrils, yet Jamie had never felt this cold before.

''Scream all you want,'' Jack of the Lantern almost purred, his hand sliding down Jamie's cheek and coming to rest on his chest. The spirit felt a rush that he had missed those years that Jack had held him in that iceberg. ''You see, thanks to your friend out there, I have a debt to pay. So I will start with you.''

Jamie closed his eyes and held Sophie tightly. She had been oddly quiet, and Jamie suspected that she didn't realise what was going on. Sophie had always been able to sleep through anything. She probably suspected that she was dreaming, something Jamie then took as a blessing. He kept his eyes closed and waited for some sort of pain.

Nothing came, but the hand on his chest disappeared. When Jamie opened his eyes again, he saw why, and a relieved grin formed on his face, his eyes once again filled with hope and trust. Jack had roughly pulled the Pumpkin King away from the bed and was now blocking the dark spirit from getting close to Jamie or Sophie again.

''You're not hurting anyone else ever again.'' Jack snarled dangerously. He knew he had to get the Pumpkin King back outside. There was no way they could fight in the small room without the risk of getting the children hurt, so Jack decided to make the first move.

The Pumpkin King was taken aback by the harsh blow that sent him flying out of the window. He landed roughly on the street, rolling back a little before he came to a halt. Jack once again froze the window shut and flew straight at the dark spirit, who only just dodged the second blast.

Furious to have been interrupted, the King of chaos retaliated, blocking Jack's blasts and throwing flaming pumpkins in the winter spirit's direction. Jack avoided the attacks, letting Wind pull him up into the air. Fire and ice collided again and again as the two danced around each other in search for an opening.

Jack glanced back towards the house. In their fight, they had gotten quite far away from it, something Jack was grateful for. He could still see the flashes of egg bombs going off, and he knew that he could trust the others to fight off the demons that tried to get to the children.

The Pumpkin King saw his opening the moment Jack looked away, and in that second he used his powers. Jack felt the blow to his right side and fell out of the air, luckily landing in the soft grass. He grunted. His right side felt hot, forcing him to take a few deep breaths to regain his composure.

_''__That could have gone better…'' _Pitch gasped, feeling the stabbing pain just as much as Jack.

Before he had time to react, Jack felt a hard kick in the same place where he'd been previously hit. He coughed and struggled to draw in a breath. He saw the flurry of orange and red in the corner of his eye and forced himself to jump aside, only just avoiding the pumpkin Jack of the Lantern had thrown.

''You will _pay_ for what you did to me, Jack!'' The dark spirit roared, his hands engulfed in flames as he readied himself for another blast. Jack watched as he summoned more demons, three hounds appearing from the darkness.

Bunny had been taking down as many demons as he could, but it was as if there was no end to them. There had to be at least eighty hell hounds there, and Bunnymund was starting to grow more and more frustrated. In the corner of his eye he could see the flashes of red and blue, and he couldn't help but long to go there. He wanted to help Jack, but he mainly longed to throw a punch at that demonic spirit himself.

The fact that none of them had met the spirit before struck Bunny as odd. He prided himself in knowing even some of the more obscure spirits and he considered it part of their tasks as guardians to be aware of potential threats. Yet this spirit had practically been invisible. How was it that Manny hadn't notified them of someone who had been killing innocent children?

As he threw another egg bomb which blew away two demons, he couldn't help but notice how the blue lights in the distance had disappeared. He looked down to the patch of grass and saw Jack down on the ground, the Pumpkin King not far away from him. He glanced back at the others and trusted them to manage without him. He raced as fast as he could towards the winter spirit, relieved to see that Jack avoided the next attack and was starting to get back up to his feet.

Jack pushed the pain away and got back up. He took a second before he trusted his legs to hold him again, and then he jumped up and flew forward again. He could see Bunnymund getting closer in the corner of his eye and smiled. As long as he had back up, he would be fine. He'd dealt with the spirit before back when he was alone, surely he could do it again with his friends' help. One of the demons jumped up towards Jack, but it was a boomerang that stopped the creature from reaching him.

''You take the demons, I take the spirit?'' Jack asked playfully, already moving up again.

''Really? Ya want me to take the dogs and let you take the fun fight?'' Bunny quipped back, a grin on his face as he warded off another demon.

''At least they're not greyhounds!'' Jack laughed, then turned his attention back to the Pumpkin King. He could hear Bunny's annoyed grumble, and he certainly heard the words 'bloody show pony', but he knew the Pooka had his back.

''There is no way you can stop me, Jack.'' The Pumpkin King spat, his eyes burning with rage. Jack didn't miss the way the spirit was slowly moving back, ready to retreat and calculate a better plan. Jack didn't want to grant the spirit that luxury, and so he attacked again.

''You're not going anywhere.'' Jack hissed through gritted teeth. There was a fury inside him that was starting to grow stronger, boiling close to the surface as he thought of the children that had been lost.

''Fine.'' The Pumpkin King snarled, raising his arms outward, the palms of his hands turned up. ''Let's see how you do against this then.''

It became awfully silent when all demons suddenly went up in flames, the guardians stopping in their tracks and turning to look at the dark spirit. The Pumpkin King closed his eyes, breathing in as the flames surrounded him, engulfing him in a raging fire that melted even all the way back the ice back on Jamie's house. They watched wide eyed as the spirit darted forward with a speed none of them had expected, the attack directed at their youngest member.

Unable to dodge, Jack pointed his staff at the Pumpkin King, but he was forced backwards before he could do anything else. The heat was unbearable, the force behind the attack stronger than he'd ever felt. He was thrown backwards and skidded over the hard ground for several feet. His hoodie was dark with ash, his eyes closed as a burning pain surged through his body.

The Pumpkin King landed lightly on the asphalt which melted underneath his feet and took the last few steps into Jack's direction. He grinned as he saw the pain etched on Jack's face. It wasn't how he'd imagined his revenge to be, but he would have to take what he could get.

Bunnymund, Tooth, Sandy and North watched in horror as the Pumpkin King prepared himself for the finishing blow. The Pooka couldn't help but think back at the last fight they'd had with Pitch. Like then, he knew now that he was too far away to do anything. Even if he threw his boomerangs, they wouldn't reach it in time, and so they were forced to watch the scene in front of them unfold.

None of them was able to look away when the Pumpkin King raised his hands. They all saw the way he moved down to hit Jack one more time, and therefore no one missed the sudden movement. It had been fast, and anyone who had blinked _would _have missed it, but in an instant, there had been a flash of something, and then an explosion as two forces collided.

It was only then that they were all forced to close their eyes, the power of the explosion nearly blowing Bunnymund, who had been the closest, off his feet. The guardians all tried to see past the smoke, and a smile pulled at each of their lips when they saw Jack standing.

As fast as their relief had come, it was replaced with something else: shock. Jack's staff had changed from a Sheppard's crook to a scythe made out of ice. It glistened in the moonlight, a flurry of ash and snow mixed together falling to the ground around them. Jack had his back turned towards them, his head lowered, but the look of surprise on the Pumpkin King's face was reflected on all their faces.

''H-How…'' The dark spirit stammered, his eyes wide. He quickly composed himself, foolishly brushing it off as 'luck'. Confident that he would succeed, the King of chaos flew forward again, the fire roaring around him. Jack raised the scythe, and it was when their eyes met that the Pumpkin King realised his mistake.

Instead of icy blue, Jack's left eye was a piercing yellow. It was a colour he'd seen before, and although he wasn't sure how, he knew who that look belonged to. There was a ray of black and blue that raged forward to meet him, and it would have cost him if he hadn't narrowly gotten away from it.

The Pumpkin King flew up and tried to retreat, but Jack quickly tailed him, attacking once again. The dark spirit blocked it with a blast of fire, and finally saw his chance when the explosion created another cloud of smoke.

Jack flew forward, his grip on the scythe tightening, and he cursed softly when he realised that the Pumpkin King had gotten away. Taking a few deep breaths, Jack suddenly felt overcome with exhaustion, and he slowly flew down to the street, where the others had been watching the fight silently.

It was hard to miss the two different eye colours, but none of them cared when Jack's legs failed to carry him the moment he landed. They rushed to the boy who fell to his knees, only barely catching himself from collapsing entirely.

''Jack!'' Tooth called, though it was North and Bunny who made it there first.

''Ya alright, snowflake?'' Bunnymund placed a paw on Jack's shoulder, watching Jack struggle to catch his breath.

''..'m ok.'' Jack panted finally. When he looked back up at them his eyes were back to normal, and they noticed the ice on the staff faded, returning it to the Sheppard's crook they knew Jack to wield. The winter spirit smiled weakly, turning his head when someone called his name.

''Jack!'' The guardian was suddenly pulled into a tight hug that nearly made him fall backwards again. Jack ignored the pain it caused and hugged Jamie back, relief washing over him. ''Are you ok?'' Jamie asked once he pulled out of the hug, his eyes wide with worry. Jack smiled again, ruffling Jamie's hair.

''I'm fine.'' He assured the boy, getting back to his feet, although Bunny was supporting most of his weight. ''You did well protecting your sister.''

Jamie beamed with pride and hugged the winter spirit again, who managed to conceal a wince. Sandy finally volunteered to take Jamie back home and to watch over them for the rest of the night while North and Bunnymund helped Jack get back to the sleigh, which was still standing near the lake.

They had been looking for Jack all day, and had decided that they'd keep one person at the lake at all times. North had instructed Phil to activate the lights if Jack returned to the Pole. They'd only just regrouped when they saw flashes of blue light from where they knew the Bennett house was, and they'd hurried there as fast as they could.

Jack finally couldn't take much more after they'd gotten halfway there and collapsed again. He was still half conscious when North scooped him into his arms, but had eventually succumbed to sleep.

''Guys,'' Tooth began once they were at the sleigh. She was nervously fidgeting with her nails, glancing back and forth between Jack and a very interesting patch of snow. ''What happened back there? I mean, you saw it too, right?!''

''Jack can tell us when he is awake.'' North decided, although part of that was no more than speculation. He wasn't sure if Jack had controlled what had happened back there, and if he did, he wasn't sure if the boy felt up to sharing. Right now, however, all he cared about was getting Jack back to bed to grant him the rest he needed.

They took Jack back to the pole and carefully removed his hoodie. Although the boy's skin luckily hadn't been too badly burned, a massive bruise was starting to blossom on Jack's right side. North almost winced himself when he saw it, but he quickly worked with Phil to patch their friend up. Their own injuries were just superficial, with none of them having more than a scratch or two, and so they left them to heal on their own.

The first time, they had taken turns staying at Jack's bedside, but right now no one wanted to leave. Toothiana settled in the armchair after both North and Bunnymund insisted she'd take it. North sat down on the ground with his back against the wall for support, and Bunny paced back and forth. The adrenaline hadn't entirely left his system yet, and he wouldn't feel comfortable sitting still.

Bunny's thoughts tuned out the small talk North and Tooth were having. Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the way Jack had changed during the fight. Admittedly, it had still been Jack, and the movements, although much faster, had been his entirely. It had been the expression on his face, and the glowing yellow eye, that had Bunny's stomach doing somersaults. The way he looked hadn't been Jack at all. Although the glare hadn't been directed at him at the time, Bunny's toes had curled up when he saw Pitch in his friend.

It was unsettling, to say the least. It had been brief, but the Pooka had been beyond relieved when Jack looked back up at them with two icy blue irises, any hint of menace gone. What Bunny wasn't sure of was how it could have happened. Then again, he didn't know much about synthesis at all. Perhaps there was much more to it than Jack let on.

Bunny stopped pacing around and looked at the winter spirit who was fast asleep and recovering from this ordeal. For a second, the guardian of hope wondered if Jack was telling them all he knew. He understood that Jack was a free spirit, but he just longed to lock the kid up and throw away the key. Perhaps that would keep him out of harm's way. And then something hit him.

Jack had always been prone to getting into trouble. He had been for as long as the Pooka knew him. He knew that Jack sometimes had no one but himself to blame for it, he liked to pull pranks on people after all, but sometimes it wasn't his fault. Jack had been around for hundreds of years, and for the majority of that time, Jack had been utterly alone.

It was why Jack had likely been so eager to befriend the Pumpkin King two hundred years ago. Back then, children didn't see him, and frankly, the spirits had treated him as being invisible as well. Not a single one of them, not even the guardians, Bunny bitterly admitted, had reached out to him in a time where he was probably confused, scared, and lonely.

Bunny imagined Jack on his own at the lake, surrounded by nothing but shadows and snow. He imagined a young boy, lost in an unfamiliar world, with no one to hold his hand. Perhaps it hadn't just been the children who had been killed by the Pumpkin King that the Guardians had failed to protect.

Jack had been a victim just as much as them, just a victim of neglect. Hell, Bunny wouldn't have blamed the spirit if he'd helped the Pumpkin King. Instead he'd done what he didn't think he'd be capable of doing had he been in Jack's place: He'd sacrificed himself. Jack had given up his friendship, had accepted that he would continue to live in solitude for hundreds of years in order to protect the children that walked right through him.

It was something Jack proved him to do time and time again, and every time Bunny felt equally amazed and guilty. He promised right then that he would never allow Jack to sacrifice himself again, no matter what. He would be Jack's guardian, would prove to the spirit that there was more than one way to save people. He would teach Jack to think more highly of himself, to accept that he is worthy and that he wouldn't have to sacrifice himself at all. He would give him hope.

After six hours had passed, North announced that he would go to the Bennett house and relief Sandy from his duty to keep watch. Tooth had moved from the arm chair to another corner of the room, where she was trying to be as quiet as possible while sorting out the chaos that was tooth collecting.

When Sandy arrived at the pole an hour after North had left, he was carrying 'Synthesis', which Jack had apparently left behind in Jamie's room. He placed the book on the night stand next to Jack's bed and smiled at Bunny. The Pooka mirrored the smile weakly, struggling to stifle a yawn at the same time.

''Nah, I'm fine.'' Bunny replied when Sandy created the silhouette of a bed above his head. The guardian of dreams looked at him skeptically, but dismissed it finally, understanding his friend's feelings. Sandy settled on the edge of the bed and eyed Jack curiously.

Jack had the faintest hint of a grimace etched on his face as he slept. Bunny had written it off as being caused by the pain in the boy's side, but the Sandman suspected otherwise. As he reached out to touch Jack's forehead, it became evident what was wrong.

The tiniest amount of black sand appeared out of nowhere and lashed out at Sandy, who easily changed it into gold. Bunny had seen it happen and instantly jumped up from the arm chair he'd been sitting in ever since Tooth had vacated it.

''Was that-'' He asked. Sandy nodded grimly, creating a small whirl of gold sand which he blew at Jack. It thankfully appeared to work as Jack seemed to relax more, the grimace replaced with the slightest of smiles. Bunny sighed and his shoulders sagged a little. He'd have to keep an eye out for that too, he realised, though he was glad that Sandy was there to help.

''I wonder what the little rascal's dreamin' now.'' He said softly. The gold sand that had been nothing but a small cloud started to shape Jack's dream as if it had heard Bunny's question. Bunny wasn't very surprised when it showed the snowball fight they'd all had after they'd defeated Pitch for the first time, yet it brought a smile to his face. ''Snowballs and fun times. Should've known.''

Almost nine hours had passed when a soft groan emanated from Jack's mouth. Tooth, Sandy and Bunny all moved from where they'd been and were standing at Jack's bedside when the spirit opened his eyes. He blinked a few times and then eyed them all for a second.

''Can we not make a habit out of this? It's kind of creepy to have people watching you wake up.'' Jack quipped lightheartedly, sitting up with Sandy's help.

''We'll stop staring at ya if ya stop worrying us.'' Bunny retorted not unfriendly, followed by a very concerned Tooth.

''Are you alright? Does it hurt? Can we get you something?'' Jack couldn't help but laugh when she assaulted him with questions, although he did regret the action slightly once his ribs protested.

''I'm fine, just a little sore.'' He assured her, narrowly adding an afterthought. ''Although if you could make some of those sugar free muffins… They're delicious and would definitely make me feel better.''

''Jack, now's not the time for muffins.'' Bunny intervened before Tooth could say 'yes', although he was sure she would take the time to make them for him regardless.

''But I'm hurt.'' Jack pouted dramatically, but he wasn't entirely successful in keeping the grin from his face.

''Or is it that you're jealous? Cause I'm sure Tooth wouldn't mind making you a muffin either.'' Jack turned his head slightly and winked at Tooth, who smiled and tried to conceal the blush that was creeping up her neck.

''Ya do remember how you ended up in this bed again, right?'' Bunny grunted, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache forming behind his eyes. He was pleased to see Jack joking around again; it served to prove that he was getting back to normal. However, they did have a deranged spirit targeting every child on Earth, Jack included. Thankfully, Tooth decided to side with him.

''Bunny's right, Jack.'' She agreed seriously, her brow creased with worry as she fluttered close to the foot of the bed. ''We need to figure out how to stop the Pumpkin King.''

Sandy waved his hand to get their attention and created an image of a pumpkin and then made a small cage around it when they were all looking.

''Ya want to seal him away again?'' Bunny asked, getting an affirmative nod in reply. The Pooka pursed his lips and looked at Jack. He had faith that the winter spirit was capable of sealing him away again, but at what risk? He eventually shook his head. ''We can't risk 'im breaking out again. We need to think of something a little more permanent.''

''You want to kill him?'' Tooth asked nervously.

''How do you kill a spirit?'' Jack asked confused, shrugging when they looked at him. ''I mean, we're already dead, right? I mean, sure, we thought Sandy was dead when Pitch-'' Jack didn't want to finish that sentence, he didn't want to risk the pain of that day to resurface. So he continued. ''And you all thought I was dead when I sealed away Pitch, but we both came back.''

They were all silently thinking that over. Now that they thought 'killing' a spirit was their only option, they discovered none of them actually knew how to go about killing a spirit. Yes, they got hurt like humans did, and they even ate and drank from time to time, but they were different. Spirits healed much faster, and they could go without food and drinks, although it did have its effects on them.

Sandy finally created the silhouette of three books followed by a question mark. Jack groaned at the thought of doing more research, suddenly remembering Synthesis. He was about to ask about the book when he saw it lying on the cabinet, right next to the lamp.

''Sandy's right,'' Tooth began, drawing their attention. ''There might be something in the library.''

_''__You're all fools.'' _Pitch commented suddenly.

''What, do you have a better idea?'' Jack asked annoyed, momentarily forgetting that he wasn't alone.

_''__As a matter of fact, I do.'' _Pitch answered nonchalantly, piquing Jack's interest.

**And that's the end of chapter 6! Thank you very much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and please review. Xx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting, but like I said, I'm on a holiday :P**

**So here's the next chapter. Enjoy reading it and please feel free to review/follow/whatever :) Xx**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the RotG characters :(**

''Jack?'' Tooth asked, but he didn't seem to notice. Jack was looking straight ahead and he looked like he was listening intently to something no one else could hear. Tooth turned her head to Bunny to seek help, but the Pooka was looking closely at Jack, his jaw tense. When she saw the same look on Sandy's face, she remembered the conversation Bunny and Jack had had, and she gasped wide eyed.

''Is he talking to-'' Tooth began to ask, but Bunny held up a paw and shushed her.

_''__There's no way to kill a spirit, that much is common sense.'' _Pitch began matter-of-factly. _''But you are all forgetting one very important thing, something that will instantly provide you with the solution to your little problem. Tell me, Frost, how did the Pumpkin King become a free spirit in the first place? Why is he collecting the souls of children?''_

''He's working for the devil…'' Jack mumbled barely audible, putting the pieces together. Bunny, Sandy and Tooth exchanged a glance, and Bunny decided to step forward.

''Of course!'' Jack blurted out, throwing the sheets off him and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed before anyone could stop him. ''He's not just killing them for the fun of it, he's collecting their souls to give to the devil! That's why he's allowed to roam free.''

It was only then that Jack noticed the worried eyes that were focused on him. He visibly paled when he realised he'd been talking to Pitch in front of them, and for once he was at a loss of words.

''I-'' Jack began hesitantly, still racking his brain on what would follow.

''They know.'' Bunny announced before Jack could think of something else to say. Instead of being relieved, Jack now seemed angry.

''You told them?!'' Jack growled, his eyes darkening. Bunny raised up his paws in defense, but Tooth explained the situation before he got a chance.

''Bunny didn't tell us anything,'' She began, placing a hand on Jack's shoulder as she fluttered in front of him. ''We kind of overheard your conversation with him…''

''Oh…'' Jack murmured embarrassed, his eyes darting down to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. Tooth was having none of it, placing a finger underneath his chin and raising his head.

''Jack, we could have helped you if you'd just told us honestly.'' She cooed, smiling sweetly. ''We're a family, you can tell us anything.''

Jack swallowed around the lump that was starting to form in his throat and nodded, faintly mirroring the smile. Though he had always considered them as his family, no one had actually used that word before. Not aloud. To hear Tooth confirm how he'd felt all along stirred a multitude of emotions within him, and they were strong enough for Jack not to trust his voice right then.

''So,'' Bunny said, bringing an end to the silence that was straining the air. ''Ya were saying something about the devil and a better idea? Somehow, I don't see those two things going well together.''

''Actually, I think it might work.'' Jack countered, agreeing with Pitch for a change. ''He is collecting souls to send to Hell in his place, but he hasn't sent a single soul in over 150 years. The devil only agreed with the deal because Stingy Jack tricked him, so they're not exactly on the best of terms. We just have to convince the devil to collect the Pumpkin King's soul now.''

''And how do ya suppose we convince the devil? Walk into Hell and have a chat with him?'' Bunny retorted. He had to admit that sending the Pumpkin King to Hell sounded tempting, but actually executing it was an entirely different story.

_''__I could help you with that.''_

''You could?'' Jack asked, surprised that Pitch would even offer such a thing.

''Ok, I know that ya can hear Pitch, snowflake, but would ya mind telling us what he's saying?'' Bunny rolled his eyes. He didn't like it one bit that they were going with Pitch's idea, although admittedly it was the only idea they had. He especially didn't like the fact that Jack was the only one who could actively have a conversation with the spirit.

''Pitch says he could help us talk to the devil.'' Jack elaborated. ''I just don't know why.''

''Yeah, why would he do that?'' Bunny agreed, becoming increasingly more agitated. ''He's our enemy!''

_''__Oh please, tell that kangaroo to be a bit less melodramatic,'' _Jack couldn't help but snicker when Pitch referred to Bunny as 'kangaroo'. The guardian in question eyed him questioningly, but Jack decided not to share that bit of the conversation with them. _''I'm not fond of you Guardians, but I have a score to settle with the Pumpkin King too. I'd be thrilled to watch him squirm.''_

''Apparently Pitch and the Pumpkin King aren't exactly on good terms either.'' Jack explained to the rest. ''We don't have to trust him blindly, nor do we have to like it, but right now I think we could use the help, don't you think?''

''Pitch _is _a dark spirit, like the Pumpkin King,'' Tooth reasoned, the hesitation evident on Bunny's face. ''He's got a different insight on the situation than we do.'' Sandy nodded in agreement, seeing how they could benefit from the temporary allegiance.

''Fine, let's hear it.'' Bunny groaned defeated. He crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently while Jack listened to Pitch's instructions.

_''__Let's start at the beginning: getting you into Hell...''_

''You want to do what?!'' North bellowed shocked. Tooth had gone to relief him from the duty of watching over the Bennett family, and they'd sat the man down and explained their plan to him the moment he'd returned to the Pole.

''Thank you, someone who agrees that this is a crazy idea!'' Bunny huffed, and Jack had to contain a smirk when Pitch again uttered something about Bunny acting overly dramatic.

''Crazy or not,'' Jack spoke up again, taking a step in North's direction. ''It's the only plan we've got. We have to stop him before he hurts anyone else again.''

North pursed his lips and scratched his beard in thought. He climbed out of the large arm chair he'd been sitting in and paced around Jack's room. Finally, he stopped in front of the window, looking out at the snowy landscape before he turned around and nodded.

''Very well, let's do it.'' Bunny's jaw dropped, his eyes big as saucers.

''Did ya _listen _to what he just said?'' He asked incredulously. ''Are we seriously going to speak to the _devil_?! Am I the only one who doesn't feel comfortable visiting the king of Hell?!''

''Jack is right, it is our only plan. We are Guardians, we must do whatever we can to protect the children.'' North shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. ''Besides, I always wondered what Hell looked like.''

''It's settled then!'' Jack clapped his hands together enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. ''Tonight, we dine in Hell!''

Before they executed their plan, the Guardians returned to Burgess, where they would cast a spell over Jamie and Sophie's house that would protect them from the demons. It was a spell that wouldn't last them long, but it gave them enough time to find a gate into Hell and speak to the Devil.

Sandy also handed Jamie a small bag which contained goofer dust. With Jack's help, the spirit explained that Jamie was to make a circle and stay in it with Sophie if the demons managed to break through the spell somehow.

Jamie also got some egg bombs from Bunny, a snow globe from North that would summon the yetis if they needed help, and a small crystal that would glow throughout the night to keep the darkness out from Tooth. Jack created a thick layer of ice over the windows and started a snow storm around Burgess that would make it difficult to navigate in the dark, even for the demons.

Before they left, Jamie cuddled Jack tightly, promising bravely that he would protect his sister no matter what. Jack winced slightly at the strong embrace, his side still hurting from the fight the night before, but he didn't let it show on his face. He nodded proudly and smirked when he pulled out of the hug, assuring Jamie that they would return as soon as they could.

''Alright, so where are we going to find a gate to Hell?'' Bunny was the first to speak up once they'd left the Bennett house. He had armed himself with extra egg bombs and had gone back to the Warren to get his best boomerangs out, but he still felt like they were serving themselves on a silver platter by going through with Pitch's plan.

''Pitch said that he has something that could guide us to a gate back at his lair.'' Jack explained, remembering how close the entrance to Pitch's caves were to his lake. It was a miracle that he'd never found the entrance before their fight years ago. Jack prided himself in knowing these woods like the back of his hand.

''No time to waste,'' North bellowed eagerly, although he also had brought as many snow globes as he could carry. ''Jack, lead the way!''

They followed Jack into the woods and past the lake they had gotten him back from not too long ago. They had gotten out of the snowstorm Jack had created and here there was no more than a light snowfall. Everyone glanced at the ever frozen lake, the moonlight that sometimes peeped through the clouds making it seem like it was glowing blue.

They soon arrived at the entrance to Pitch's lair. The dark spirit had recreated the entrance after the battle, slowly gaining more power as he did so. Jack used raised his staff and broke the wooden bed frame that covered the hole, getting a snarky remark from Pitch that he could have been a bit more gentle with his creation. Jack ignored the comment and was the first to jump in, sliding down the hole and ending up in a spacious cave.

Sandy was next to jump down the hole and looked around the cave. It took him a few seconds before his eyes were adjusted to the dark. It was in worse state than when Jack had last been there. Empty cages still hung from the ceiling, though the majority of them were scattered around the room, the little doors open. The few paths that lead further into the cave were to dark to reveal what lay beyond them. The walls were black and slick with water and mud, and the smell reminded Sandy of an old cemetery.

The Guardian of dreams took a few steps forward to make room for Tooth, who was next to fly down the hole. She too looked around the space and couldn't help but imagine her poor fairies locked up in the dark place. She bit softly on her lower lip to keep her emotions in check and fluttered further into the cave to allow Bunny to go down the hole.

Bunny felt the hairs on his back stand up the moment he touched the cold, wet ground. He was used to caves and tunnels, but the gloom that hung in the air here made shivers run down his spine. It was silent in the cave, save from their own footsteps and the fluttering of Tooth's wings. He was narrowly followed by North and growled annoyed when the man nearly fell right on top of him.

''Watch where you're going!'' He complained, patting off the dust that had begun to coat his fur. North merely shrugged, a playful smile gracing his face.

''Are you two coming or what?'' Jack asked, looking back over his shoulder. Sandy and Tooth had already begun to follow him towards one of the dark tunnels. Tooth had handed Jack another crystal that would function as a torch, and he was leading them further into Pitch's lair. Bunny huffed once more before he and North quickly caught up with the others.

Despite Tooth's light, none of them could see much further ahead than a few feet. The walls of the tunnel they went through were black as the night, not a single ray of moonlight reaching this far into Pitch's lair. After a few minutes, they saw a faint glow coming from an open space.

It turned out to be another room, one that looked like a large study, or perhaps a laboratory. There was a large wooden desk against a wall on the right side, covered in books and vials. There were closets along the other walls, reaching up to the ceiling. Some were filled with books while others held bottles filled with strange potions and herbs. There was a single torch on each wall, leaving the room well enough lit to see without using the crystal.

''So what are we looking for, exactly?'' Bunny asked, taking a step into the room and scanning their surroundings. It actually looked like a rather normal room, if you ignored the rats scurrying away and the stench that Bunny couldn't help but associate with a scary old lady who hadn't bathed for days.

''According to Pitch, there's a necklace here somewhere.'' Jack began, hopping over to the desk and peeking at the books that were lying there. He picked up a book called _The Big Book of Pain: Torture and Punishment Through History _and grimaced as he flipped it open to reveal an image of a rather awful looking torture machine. All he could tell was that the machine had something to do with pulling out nails, and that was honestly all he wanted to know about it.

''So we're looking for jewelry?'' Bunny quipped skeptically, raising an eyebrow. He'd stumbled upon Pitch's collection of books on alchemy himself, neatly lined up on one of the bookshelves.

''Apparently the necklace was forged in the fires of the Underworld. It will glow if you get near a gate.'' Jack explained, idly tapping a vial with a forest green substance in it with his staff, covering it with a thin layer of ice.

_''__Watch it with that staff, Frost.'' _Pitch warned, though there was nothing he could do against it. _''Some of those potions are centuries old and extremely rare. They're not easy to make either.''_

Though Jack didn't reply to Pitch, he decided to respect his wish and stopped freezing random items he found, instead opening each drawer to the desk in search of the necklace.

''So where is it?'' Bunny inquired, eager to get it all over with. He wasn't afraid, but he didn't particularly enjoy pacing around Pitch's cave either.

''I'm not sure.'' Jack shrugged when Bunny looked at him surprised. ''Pitch hasn't used the necklace for centuries, but he thinks it's somewhere in this room.''

''He _thinks_-'' Bunny groaned, running a hand over his face. This was going to be a long night.

It took them two hours before they found the necklace. In those two hours, they discovered just how much of hoarder Pitch was. He had books that had been hand written by both humans and spirits, paintings that were stored away in a closet that dated back four hundred years, and herbs that hadn't been around for the past two centuries. If it didn't belong to one of their greatest enemies, North would be extremely impressed with the collection.

In the end, it had been Sandy who had found the necklace. It was silver, with imperial topazes capturing brilliant fiery colours. In the middle was a silver skull with small topazes where the eyes would have been. It was both creepy and beautiful, and without a doubt worth a fortune.

It was decided that Jack would wear the necklace. He placed it over his blue hoodie, which was still dirty from the previous battle. The thin layer of ice that always covered it had saved his hoodie from the destruction of the flames, but it was still covered in soot, pointing out exactly where the Pumpkin King had hit him.

_''__There are a few places where gates often open up.'' _Pitch explained then. Jack felt the necklace around his neck. It was heavier than he'd expected and left him feeling on edge, as if the stones could burn his flesh. _''These places are usually famous for their paranormal activity.''_

''Like ghost towns?'' Jack asked. The rest of the guardians, although not entirely used to it yet, knew that Jack was talking to Pitch now, and waited patiently for their friend to convey the message.

_''__Among others, though not necessarily.'' _Said Pitch. _ ''I'd suggest Boot Hill in Tombstone, Arizona. Lots of ghosts who died a violent death roam around there, it's perfect. ''_

''Okay.'' Jack agreed that it sounded like a place to find a portal to Hell, so he decided that they would start off there. ''Pitch will suggest some places where a gate might appear. We'll start with Boot Hill in Tombstone, Arizona.''

''Sure sounds like there could be a Hell gate there.'' Bunny snorted before they all returned to the exit to Pitch's lair. Anything would be better than staying in this bloody cave, Bunny thought.

Unfortunately, there had been no gate in Tombstone. They visited the Vulture Mines in Wickenburg, the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe, Plumer Street House in Maxwell, Nebraska, and a ghost town called Bannack in Montana, but the necklace never started to glow.

They were on their way to Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, Canada. It wasn't until they were flying over Anyox, a small mining town, that Jack noticed a change in the necklace. Not only did it give off a faint glow, it felt heavier around his neck, urging him to go down to the ground.

''Wait!'' He called out, sitting upright in the sleigh. They all turned around to see the necklace glowing faintly. North instantly turned the sleigh around and landed it on the outskirts of the mining town. The necklace was already glowing brighter, and for a second Bunny could have sworn that the flames were dancing in the gems.

Jack jumped out of the sleigh and looked around. Like Bannack, Anyox appeared to be a ghost town. It was eerily quiet, not a single animal around to make a sound. The houses were worn down, most of them suffering significantly under the cold weather. The town held a sadness that made you want to turn around and never look back, but Jack started for the town centre regardless.

He could feel the necklace pulling at him to keep going, the glow growing stronger with every step he took. The air around them grew thicker, and it seemed as if the moonlight couldn't follow them further into the town as it became darker and darker.

They finally stopped in front of a small, worn down train station. The wooden frames were barely standing upright, the steps that led into the building had been mostly eaten away by insects and bad weather. If you close your eyes, you could imagine how it used to be. Jack imagined the people that were scurrying around, the loud steam train that would get loaded with goods which they would sell. He could imagine the laughter of children running around, playing a game as the adults went to work.

When he opened his eyes again, all of that was gone, and he was left with a sad shell of what had been. He jumped up the few steps and landed lightly on the wood, though it still creaked underneath his bare feet. He took a deep breath and reached for the door that was still there, carefully pushing it open.

Instead of the worn down interior of the station, the open door revealed a tunnel of fire to which there seemed no end. The flames reflected in the gems of the necklace, and they could hear the howling down below. Bunny covered his ears to protect them against the screams that made his toes curl. Tooth was flying just behind North, clutching onto his sleeve. North placed a hand over Tooth's, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was to reassure her or himself.

The agonizing cries that came from Hell were enough to make almost anyone run as far away as possible in the opposite direction, and here they were mentally preparing themselves to jump in. Sandy moved to stand next to Jack and looked at him, questioning if this was a good idea.

''It's the only way.'' Jack argued without looking at Sandy. He understood how badly they didn't want to do this, he was just as reluctant to go in as them, but he had no other choice. They needed to stop the Pumpkin King, and without doing this, they had no idea how. He had come this far, he wasn't going to back away now.

''Who knows, maybe it's not so scary once you jump in?'' Jack tried, smiling awkwardly. The looks he received from his friends told him that he was holding on to false hope. Jack shrugged, turning back to the gate they'd opened and looking down into the darkness. ''Geronimo?''

Jack swallowed past the lump in his throat. It wouldn't make it any easier to just stand there and look at it, and so Jack did what none of them wanted: he jumped in. He could feel the flames around him trying to roast him alive, and decided that this wasn't the best environment for him to be in. He fell for what felt like forever, getting swallowed by the darkness. How were they going to get out again afterward?

The rest of the Guardians watched in horror as Jack jumped down the tunnel of flames and disappeared into the darkness below. They wondered just how far down it actually was, though they doubted they'd be able to hear Jack land with all the screams emanating from the portal.

''Uh, no thanks, you go on first.'' Bunny stammered when Sandy suggested that he went before him. Sandy shrugged as if to say 'suit yourself', then gained enough courage to follow Jack. If a winter spirit wasn't afraid of the flames of Hell, why would he be, Sandy argued.

''Ya know what, I think I might wait here.'' Bunny began, again looking down to see another friend disappear. ''I'll keep an eye ou- aaaah!''

''North!'' Tooth scolded when the man pushed Bunny down the tunnel next. North waved her off, stepping forward to jump in next.

''Sometimes, Bunny just needs a little push'' He said, looking down to make sure he wouldn't land on top of the Pooka again. He looked at Toothiana, a grin pulling at his lips before he jumped in. ''literally.''

Tooth couldn't hold back the slight chuckle, though her smile soon faded when she looked down into Hell. She took a deep breath, soothing herself with the fact that the others were there too, and so she flew down.

When Jack finally felt ground underneath himself again, he realised it was colder than before. He opened his eyes –when did he close them in the first place?- and looked at the river in front of him. He took the few steps to look at the black water before he heard something behind him.

''Sandy!'' He smirked enthusiastically, walking back to the small man. ''Welcome to Hell! Are the others coming as well?''

Sandy shrugged, but soon they could hear a familiar scream getting louder and louder. Bunny landed harshly on the ground, groaning and coughing due to the dust cloud that his fall had caused. Jack nearly started crying out of laughter at the sight of the Pooka.

''Glad you could join us.'' He snickered, extending a hand which Bunny reluctantly took. Jack had only just helped Bunnymund back to his feet when they heard an 'incoming!' from above.

''Will ya stop that!'' Bunny snarled, only just avoiding a collision between himself and North. ''And ya didn't have to push me!''

''You pushed him?'' Jack asked bemused, barely containing his laughter again. Bunny grumbled something about them teaming up against him, but it appeared to be lighthearted. Tooth then appeared as well, relieved to see them all in one piece.

''Shall we?'' Jack asked, turning around and ready to find the Devil.

_''__You'll have to cross the Styx.'' _Pitch explained, much to Jack's surprise.

''The Greek were right?'' He asked. He didn't know much about Hell, but he knew that there were several stories about it.

_''__Every religion is right about at least parts of it.'' _Pitch elaborated. ''_There are countless names for both Hell as its inhabitants. The Romans were right that you have to cross the river to get into Hell, but there's no ferryman, as they thought.''_

''So how are we supposed to cross it?'' Jack enquired. Tooth, Sandy and he would have no problem flying over it, but he wasn't sure if they'd be able to bring North or Bunny with them. Had it been a short distance, it wouldn't have been much of a problem, but Jack doubted they'd be able to carry both of them as far as it appeared they had to go.

_''__Well normally, I flew over it, but there's a bridge not too far to your right.'' _Pitch commented, after which Jack turned his head. There was indeed a brick bridge crossing the dark waters, but it was the three headed dog that stood vigil on top of it that made him groan.

''You've got to be kidding me…''

**And that's the end of yet another chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it and thank you very much for reading! Remember, reviews/follows make me grin like a Cheshire cat :) I'll try to upload again asap! Xx**


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